Forbidden
by Alice Starr
Summary: Iris awakens one morning with a tattoo on her wrist. She thinks nothing of it. Then she meets a strange man in a dark alley, who seems to have saved her life. Should she trust him when it seems that he's involved with a cult that seems to want her dead?
1. Chapter 1

*This story belongs to AliceStarr & Ebayhaseverything*

Chapter one

_"Go, now. Save the dying race."_

I shot upright, wiping my damp forehead with the back of my hand. I had the dream again... the one I always had, and could never remember no matter how many hours I thought about it. It always ended with that same line, save the dying race.

I sat there pondering it a bit further, trying desperately to recall at least one other thing about it... without any luck. I shook my head, clearing the remainder of the dream from my mind; I had to get ready for school. I stood up groggily and turned to the digital clock on the side of my comfortable queen-sized bed, the flashing green numbers portraying 7:45.

"Shit!" I exclaimed, instantly forgetting my drowsiness and leaping to grab an outfit and pull it on. School started in 15 minutes and I still had to walk there.

"Which, of course, wouldn't be a problem if mom actually let me take the _car _once in while..." I grumbled, pulling a brush through my long chestnut hair, silently thanking the fact that my hair was naturally pin-straight, and didn't require any time for straightening it. I stepped back from the mirror to evaluate my appearance quickly.

I wore a black shirt that draped over one shoulder, and a pare of dark denim jeans, my hair swaying down past my hips, until it stopped short, almost to the back of my knees.

I gave myself another quick once-over before hurling myself into the bathroom and sticking my toothbrush under the tap, coating it with crest mint toothpaste. I brushed my teeth while packing my math textbook and homework sheets into my backpack, then rushed back into the bathroom and applied my makeup quickly.

With barely enough time to sit down, I pulled my dark blue Chuck Taylor converse on and practically flew out the door, looking backwards to make sure the door shut completely. Then I was down the street, racing to school.

I heard the bell ring as soon as I entered the red and brown bricked building, praying that my 1st class English teacher, Mrs. Montgomery, was running late. I slipped my bag and books into my locker, yanking out my English binder and a pen. I shut my locker and spun the dial, noticing a flash of purple as my wrist turned.

Confused, I held up my right arm and saw in dismay a tattoo of wings inked into the inside of my wrist.

"When did I..." I trailed off, walking to my classroom with slow, stiff, steps, barely noticing when someone called out my name.

"Iris! Stop staring into space and get over here!" I looked up, dumbfounded, and saw Zak waving me over. His black hair was gleaming, its ends curling slightly, with his sharp cobalt eyes peeking out from under his bangs.

I took the seat next to him, just as Mrs. Montgomery strut through the door. Her beady eyes did a quick scan over the rim of her black glasses, staring at each student in the classroom. Her dainty hand smoothed down the top of her head, making sure none of the mahogany strands has left her tight chignon.

"I want all of you to resume working on your essays, they are to be returned to me by the end of next class." Mrs. Montgomery commanded in a quiet, clipped voice. She turned around and started scrawling the date on the chalkboard with an elegant script. I snuck a glance down at my wrist again._ yep, it's still there_... Zak noticed my gaze and saw the tattoo, raising his eyebrows in a silent question.

"I have no idea where it came from, so don't even bother asking, okay?" I whispered, hoping our strict teacher wouldn't hear me.

"You don't remember? God Iris, how drunk can one person get ?" I knew he was teasing, but it didn't help at all. I glared up at him and smacked his arm, ignoring how he played with his silver lip ring, trying not to laugh at my measly strength.

"I don't drink, you know that." I hissed under my breath, pretending to be working on my essay, when instead I was doodling a pair of cartoon wings, replicating the mysterious tattoo on my arm.

"Iris, you know I was kidding. So what happened exactly? Did you fall asleep and it was just there or did you fall asleep at Chandra's place?" I was startled by his accusation that Chandra, my other best friend besides Zak, would actually have the nerve to give me a tattoo while I slept.

"No, I didn't fall asleep at Chandra's," I scoffed, keeping an eye on the teacher, who sat at her desk reading a magazine she undoubtedly took from one of the students, "and besides, I think I would wake up if somebody decided to pierce my skin repeatedly with a needle." Zak rolled his eyes, and then started to work on the assignment. I sighed, knowing the matter was dropped, and fixed my eyes down on the lined sheet of paper that sat on the desk in front of me, not wanting to do any work at all.

"So how was school?" Chandra asked, piling up the stacks of cashmere sweaters while I straightened up the jeans.

"It was a long day, and boring too. I can't believe you aren't in any of my classes until next semester." I complained, finished with the jeans and turning as a person called out to me.

"Excuse me, but do you have these jeans in a size 4?" I took the size 3 light wash jeans from her and matched it to a bigger size, handing it to her with a smile.

"Here you go. These would go perfectly with one of those tank tops over there, and they're 50% off today." She smiled and thanked me, taking my advice and purchasing the jeans and a green shirt I had pointed to. I turned back to my friend, sweeping my hair back in a ponytail. Chandra eyed me in amusement.

"You know Iris, you would look great with short hair." She suggested, subtly telling me I should chop 6 years off hard work off my head.

"No way, you know how long it took me to grow it out this long." I protested, my voice rising. A couple people glanced our way, but most were too busy inspecting the materials hanging on the racks to be bothered with two annoying employees.

"Jeez Iris, calm down. No need to get so defensive." she murmured, pulling all sorts of misplaced multicoloured fabric and putting them in their rightful place. I muttered a quick, insincere apology to my overreaction. I jumped at a tap on my shoulder, turning around and grinning sheepishly at my boss, Chris.

"You girls are free to go home, Talia and Keagan came in early and said they would take the rest of your shifts." He winked at us, handing us our weekly paychecks.

"Thanks Chris!" I grinned up at him, hating that I was so short compared to everyone else. Of course, Chris Jenkin wasn't particularly short, and he was at least 10 years older than me. Chandra and I walked out of the store, thanking Talia and Keagan when we saw them. Talia just waved, a shy smile on her lips. However Keagan waved and called out a loud goodbye, unconcerned with everyone who stared at him.

I laughed and called out a goodbye back to him, Chandra grinning and waving back at Talia. When we got out of the clothes store we worked at, I said goodbye to Chandra.

"Are you sure you want to walk home now?" She questioned nervously, glancing around her and taking in the dark of the night.

"Yeah, it's not like I haven't walked home alone after a shift before."

"Well, yeah. But that was during the day. It's now..." She checked her cell phone, "11:09. There are a lot of muggers and rapists around here Iris, and no offense, but you look like a number one victim." Chandra gazed down at me, ignoring the look of fury I was giving her.

"I'm not that short Chandra, and I can look after myself, thanks." I was starting to get irritated. _How come nobody thinks I can take care of myself? There's a maximum of 2% that I could get raped or mugged tonight, and i'm fine with those odds. _

"I know... just be careful okay?" She gave me a hug and left, glancing back at me every couple steps. I sighed and turned, walking down the road to my house.

I hadn't gone very far before there was the sound of footsteps behind me, making me stiffen, wrapping my coat tighter around me and walking a little faster, trying to calm down._ two percent, two percent, two percent..._ I repeated my mantra in my head until I finally got the nerve to look behind me and see if I was being followed. It was only a woman, pulling out her cell phone to call somebody as she crossed the street. I let out a breath, realizing just then that I had been holding it in.

_Look at you... all scared like Chandra was. Come on Iris, pull yourself together! _I thought angrily, speeding up again, unable to forget about the feeling of terror in my stomach. I couldn't help letting out a screech when there was the sound of garbage bags tipping over._ It's probably just a stray dog, forget about it Iris, your house is just past this building._

I was nearing the turn that would lead me to my street, when there was a cry that pierced the night air. I turned to where the sound had came from, an alley.

_Well, this looks sketchy. Where have I seen this before? Oh, right... in almost every single horror movie that was ever created._

Ignoring my thoughts, which weren't helping me work up the courage to investigate the source of the shriek, I looked around, not seeing anybody within hearing range besides me that heard the noise. I blew out a breath and walked into the alley.

"Hello?" I whispered, "Is there anybody there?" I took a small step forward, straining my eyes to see something, _anything_ that could have made that tortured cry. Before I could take another step forward, a gloved hand grasped onto my arm, and a hand clamped over my mouth, muffling my scream.

My attacker threw me into the alley, my back hitting a dumpster with a jarring _thud_. I grimaced, kneeling on the floor in pain, and waited for the next blow. As I saw the arm draw back, I kicked out with my leg, striking them in the knee and rolling away from them, standing up on unsteady legs.

"Lucky shot." I assumed it was a female, because of the slim figure and the voice as she hissed those two words at me.

"Yeah, well i'm known to be full of luck." Though my voice was steady, I was terrified. This person was obviously not some drunk mugger, and from the glint of silver on her waist I assumed she had some pretty lethal weapons.

I wasn't going to be able to last very much longer, and that was a heck of a lot more than a 2% chance.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Screams pierced the air, and rang through my ears. It wasn't the first time I had heard screams, it won't be the last. I am accustomed to them. Their…lets say…in the job description.

The screams continued to echo down the small ally way, bouncing off the shaded brick walls and the rusty dumpsters. It's just probably another murder, I thought easily. Normally, I would ignore this. You see I am out a lot at night, this isn't my first time that I've heard screams ring through the city. But this time was different. I followed after the screams, casually walking and turning as if I knew exactly where I was going.

I turned corners and corners through the maze of ally ways. It was a dark night, not many stars. Crescent moon. Hardly any light to guide my path, but I was able to see just fine.

The screams got louder and I knew I was getting close. The screams were one of pain, but the person was still alive. I finally found the person and the attacker, in a cornered in ally way. It was a young girl, maybe sixteen or seventeen. She was short, but had long hair, that was in a tangled mess. She started to scream again until she saw me, and her eyes widened. The attacker had backed her against the wall. I could tell who the attacked was. I knew her well.

"Still picking on the humans are we Aloura?" I said loudly. She span around, seeing me, she glared.

"Lucas." She smiled. "What a pleasant surprise." She said sarcastically. I ignored her and looked behind her at the girl. She looked terrified.

Aloura saw me looking. She chuckled. "Oh do you know her? Is she your little playmate? No…She your new girlfriend?" She turns to the girl. "Trust me; he gives up on everyone real fast. I have first hand experience."

Every word that came out of Aoura's mouth made my hatred greater for her. I can't believe I was ever with her. Of course she was beautiful, and moonlight reflecting off her flawless blonde hair made is glimmer and shine. She had her knife in her left hand, and the moon light reflected off that also. She wore a tight suit, sort of like a ninja. A really hot ninja.

I shook my head at my thoughts. No. She was the enemy. Besides, been there done that.

"Aloura give it a rest. You are what you are and I am what I am. There's no way we could ever be together. Just…let the girl go."

Aloura smiled and starts to walk towards me. "Sympathy? From the big bad boogie man? Never seen that side of you Lucas. I think I like it." She flips her knife through her fingers subconsciously as she smiles up at me. "You know no one would ever have to know about us."

"Let her go." I said sternly.

She scowled. "Fine. Have it your way then." She turns towards the girl. "It's your lucky day missy." She turns back to me. "I'll be seeing you around." She winks, and then is gone.

The girl looked at me, where Aloura was standing, then back at me. She still looked terrified. She probably thought that I was going to kill her now.

Now on normal occasions I would. I do not like humans very much, and considering what this one has seen and heard tonight, I should dispose of her quickly and quietly. But for some reason, I refused my inner instinct to kill the girl. Instead I slowly walked towards her, until I was almost whispering in her ear. "Sleep." I said quietly, and she dropped. I caught her in my arms, and laid her on the side walk. I searched her pocket for some kind of notification. I found her wallet, which inside read her name and address. Iris Keyr, 76 North Pine Crest, which was right down the street.

I picked up the girl, Iris, and slung her over my shoulder. She was tiny and light and I moved quickly down the street, trying my best to avoid street lights. Finally, I found her house, and I slowly sneaked around the hedges until I was up against the back of the house. I saw there was a window with a light on right above me, so I climbed onto the shed, then onto the roof and looked in the window.

The room was empty. There was a simple bed in one corner, and a large vanity in the other. It was lit brightly by a large lamp. The room was purple with Faeries on the walls. "A little childish for a teenager" I thought to myself, but never the less I climbed in through the window. I walked over to the bed and laid the girl down, not bothering to pull the sheets over her. I looked at her again, lying there with her eyes closed. Something was different about this human, why am I being so caring? I thought. I looked at her one last time, but I noticed something strongly familiar. A tattoo, on the inside of her wrist. It was a purple tattoo of wings that resembled ones of a fairy. I knew I had seen that tattoo somewhere I just couldn't put my finger on it.

I couldn't stop thinking about what Aloura said. She was right; sympathy wasn't a side you would normally see from me. Ashamed of myself for letting my human feelings get a better of me, I ran from the room and jumped out the window. I landed on the ground softly, even if it was a two story jump.

I ran to the street, and looked back one last time at the house. I shook my head, and walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I woke up the following morning with a harsh pounding on my head, my vision blurring around the edges. I sat up and placed a hand on my forehead, which was boiling hot.

"_Iris Delilah Keyr_." My mothers voice was heard, yelling my name up the stairs. I groaned in response.

"What do you want mom?" I called back, my voice weak. I struggled to get up out of bed and was trying to stable myself and keep my balance when my mother's head poked through the door.

"You have to get ready for school, it isn't the weekend yet. I've been calling out to you for the past - " She stopped, gazing at my face quizzically, which was contorted in pain as I grabbed my stomach, moaning quietly. She tucked a piece of her brown hair - almost the exact shade as mine - behind her ear and gazed at me, a worried expression flitting on her face, "Are you okay Iris?"

"Yeah... I'm fine." I tried to shrug, but the movement proved too painfull and I gasped, biting onto my lip and feeling my teeth dent into the soft skin. My mom guided me to my bed, pulling the striped comforter off the floor and put it over top of me, brushing my hair back from my face like she had done whenever I was a little girl.

There was the sound of a door being opened, and the slam that followed was loud, echoeing throughout the hallway. I stiffened, _now, who could that be?_ It was only me and my mom that lived at home.

"Tanya." A man's voice was heard a couple seconds after the door slammed. My mother froze, her eyes widening in fear. We both recognized the voice as soon as he spoke.

"Iris, I want you to stay here, okay? Don't let him know your home." Tanya whispered, her voice shaking slightly. I nodded mutely, aware of the situation.

"Tanya?" His voice was heard again, and I flinched at how close he was to my room. My mother stood, bracing herself and walking out my room door, going to straight to the man who had messed up our lives.

"Hello Richard. What are you doing here?" Her voice was cold, and I could picture her staring hatefully at the man whom she had loved, had married. But sometimes, love wasn't enough, it could drive you to insane things, and that was the route that my father had taken.

"Tanya," He repeated her name for the third time, "I need to talk to Iris." I felt my blood run cold as his heavy footsteps beat across the hardwood flooring, my heart thrumming.

"You have three seconds to get out of my house and away from my daughter before I call the police." Tanya's voice shook as the footsteps stopped.

"She's my daughter aswell." Richard murmured.

"Then _act like it_. You haven't been around for what, the last 7 years of her life? She doesn't want to see you." I felt the tears sting my eyes as I waited for my father's reaction to my mother's bravery. He hadn't been afraid to hit her before, and he wasn't now.

The sound of the his hand connecting with the side of her face was more than i could bear. I slipped out of bed unsteadily and limped to my door, turning the gold handle and opening it to see my mother clutching her cheek, the sound of her sobs burning into my memory.

"What are you doing here?" I gazed up at him, too exhausted to speak above a whisper. Despite how quietly I spoke, he heard me, spinning around to see me clutching onto the side of my door in a feeble attempt to stand. His eyes widened when he saw me.

"_Iris_..." He whispered, stepping forward and reaching out towards me. I shrank back.

"_Get the hell out. Now._" I hissed, trying to make my voice sound at least a little bit threatning, ignoring how my knees wobbled and sweat beaded on the nape of my neck.

"Iris, you're sick. What happened?" I ignored the concern in his voice; if he really cared about my health, he wouldn't have done everything he did.

"I said get _out_." I shrieked, pushing him away from me when he came to close. He caught my wrists, holding onto them with an iron grip and glaring down at me.

"You dare try and _hit_ me?" He shouted, shaking my arms as if I was a toy. He turned my wrists around, then stopped as he saw my tattoo. He froze, his eyes widening and his mouth parting in a shocked expression, "Oh Iris _no_." He murmured, letting go of my wrists. I yanked them back, drawing my arms to my chest so he couldn't see the tattoo.

All of a sudden, there was the sound of a siren outside of the house, the blue and red flashing lights tinting the curtains of the windows. He cursed under his breath, then bolted for the door, it's frame swinging into place with a loud _slam_.

"Good ridance..." I muttered, watching him race across the road without any regret.

"So, are you okay?" Zak asked, frowning. I shrugged. It was a couple days after the encounter with my father, and I had just finished telling Zak and Chandra everything that had happened. Chandra picked up her cup of coffee, then stopped and put it back down without taking a sip.

"You can come stay at my house for the weekend... I mean, if you're worried." Chandra offered, her big brown eyes wide.

"No, it's not that i'm worried. It was just a shock, you know? I mean, I hadn't seen the man in 7 years, after he hit my mom, and even me. I don't regret him leaving, at all. Then he just shows up one day, acting as if he had every right to come into our house? It's agrivating." I bit my lip in order for me to stop ranting. I put my head in my hands and groaned.

"Hey, Iris. Do you know him?" Zak muttured. I lifted up my head, confused, and saw Zak nodding descretely to a guy, who looked at least a year or two older than I was.

"He looks familiar... why?" I turned my head, dragging my eyes away from the strange boy and gazed at Zak.

"He keeps staring at you." My eyebrows rose up and I felt heat flood to my cheeks.

"He's hot." Chandra stated, looking back at him, "What? I'm just stating a fact." She scoffed, me and Zak rolling our eyes. I glanced back at him.

I guess Chandra could be right. I mean, he was deffinatley attractive, with blond hair that looked almost white in the lighting of the small cafe. His hair was straight, brushing over his eyes, which were light green and framed with long lashes. He wore a tight black long sleeved shirt, showing the muscle underneath. I looked back up to his eyes and saw he was staring at me. I blushed and looked away

_Why does he look so familiar?_ I thought to myself, thinking back. Suddenly I remembered. That night walking home from work, when I got attacked... he had shown up, hadn't he?

I bit my lip, thinking about the way they had spoken to eachother. _They had deffinatley been familiar with eachother... maybe they were a part of a cult?_ I gulped, stiffling the thought. Somethings were better left unknown.

I was walking around outside, which probobly wasn't a very good idea considering what happened _last_ time, when I turned the corner and saw the guy from the cafe in a store reflection. I whirled around to confront him and looked around confused. He wasn't there. I suppressed a shutter and turned around, running face-first into somebody's chest.

"Cold?" I looked up to see the guy from the cafe staring down at me, hardly suppressed amusement written all over his face as he grabbed my arm, stopping me from falling backwards. I jerked back as if electricuted. He let go of my arm.

"You're the one from before, in the alley." I stated, my eyes narrowing at him. He laughed.

"Are you attempting to look angry? Because truthfully you're too short to pull that off." He grinned down at me.

"Really? Well that's ressuring, coming from the walking skylight." I folded my arms across my chest, looking up at him in fury.

"Wow, I thought I'd get a little more gratitude after what happened with Aloura. I saved you're life."

"What do you want? Brownie points? A pat on the back?"

"Well a thank you would be nice." I rolled my eyes and spun on my heels, walking away from him without answering.

"Jerk." I muttured, walking up the front door of my house and shutting it, locking it after thinking of my father and how he casually strolled into the house before, "Mom, i'm home!" I called out, walking upstairs and entering my room, throwing myself onto the bed and staring up at the ceiling. It didn't take me long to fall asleep, but when I did, I knew I would have the dream again.

As my eyes closed, I dimly saw the wing tattoo on my wrist take on a faint glow, but I disregarded it and fell asleep, exhaustion taking over me.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Is she ready?" I asked. The man nodded. He was tall, almost bald, with a long scar running from his eyeball down to the corner of his mouth. He was Abigor, the leader of The Talavyr, what the demon group called themselves, and he had asked me to perform a ritual, a ritual that would, if done perfectly, lead the Demons over the Shape-Shifters in the war or the two worlds.

This war had gone on for centauries. Both the demons and the Shape-Shifters were as powerful as one another, so neither of them was winning. But there was one thing that would put them ahead. The blood from a pixie, mixed with special incantations, would make the demons or the shape-shifters all powerful. There was only one problem- there was only one pixie left. Luckily, the demons had her. They would perform the ritual, tonight. And I was to do it. The fate of the war rested on my shoulders, and I wasn't the least bit worried. I had preformed similar rituals thousands of times, even though I was only 19. I had learned the trade fast and soon became more skilled and wiser than even the eldest of pixie executioners.

"Follow me," Abigor said, turning his back to me and walking out the back door. I followed him quickly through the door and into a brightly lit corridor. We walked in silence. Soon, Abigor stopped in front of a large, stainless steel door. He handed me the key silently, and walked away, disappearing mysteriously. I shrugged, and opened the door.

Behind the door was not what I had expected. It was a forest, well, a clearing. Tall trees surrounded the open area, and rocks scattered around the middle, covered in moss and leaves. Off to the corner of the clearing were three men. One was sitting on a rock, and the two others were standing, and resting against a tree. They all looked up when I walked in. there was a moment of silence, until the man sitting laughed, and stood up. "Come in, come in. don't stand there like an idiot." He walked over, and looked at me closer. "Ah so they brought in the big guns, eh? Lucas VanStellar. Oh I know all about you. We hear you're the best fairy executioner around." He shook my hand. "The names Vixen. This here is Afrit and Jestan." The two others nodded their heads bluntly, clearly not as cheery as Vixen. I took an automatic dislike to him.

_What kind of name is 'Vixen'?_ I thought. _Where's Rudolf and the gang?_

"So are we going to get this done or not?" I said, walking past Vixen and addressing Afrit and Jestan.

"Have to wait until 6 o'clock." Afrit said in a deep voice. "That's when them pixies are at their strongest."

"Well what time is it now?" I asked.

"5:49."

"We'd better start heading out then," Vixen said. "Afrit, why don't you do the honours?"

Afrit stepped forward, away from the rest of us. We formed a semi circle around him. Afrit murmured something in Latin, and stomped his foot three times on the ground. Almost immediately, a hole appeared at their feet. "Agh!" I yelled and jumped back. Afrit rolled his eyes and stepped calmly into the hole, and disappeared. Jestan looked at Vixen. "The best of the best huh?" He snorted, and stepped into the hole.

"What the hell is that?" I asked Vixen.

Vixen laughed. "That there is a demon-hole. It's exactly as its sounds. How else did you think us demons traveled? You thought we'd take a train all the way to Spingwich?" Vixen laughed and jumped in the hole.

"Spingwich?" I asked myself aloud. I took a deep breath, closed my eyes and stepped forward into the hole. I didn't feel as though I was falling, so I opened my eyes. Suddenly, I was in an old factory warehouse.

"The ritual will take place here," Vixen said matter-of-factly. I took a look around at the paint-peeling walls and the scattered crates and boxes. "Cliché much?" I asked, raising my eyebrow. Vixen shrugged and walked ahead of them, leading the way into the darkness.

We followed him into the warehouse. I couldn't see his hand in front of his face, on account of it being so dark. Soon, they came to a doorway. Vixen took what looked to be a passkey out of his pocket and swiped it in the mechanism beside the door. The door opened, revealing a small room, just barely brighter than the rest of the warehouse. In the middle of the room, there was a chair.

Sitting in the chair was what appeared to be a woman in her 40's, with long dark brown hair that was messy and sticking to her face. Her mouth was gagged and her arms and legs tied to the chair. Across her arms, ancient sacrificial markings were carved, and I knew they were also carved on her torso and upper back. Blood soaked through her shirt, and it stuck against her. Beside the women, there was a table with tools and a large book. I looked at the others, who nodded at me to proceed.

I took a step forward towards the shaking women. Her eyes widen with fear, as I picked up the book and started to read.

Finally, the war against the Shape shifters would be over, and the demons would be all powerful.

The ritual had begun.

҉

"What do you mean it didn't work?" I exclaimed. "I did everything in the ritual precisely, to the exact detail. How could it not of worked?"

"Well it didn't." Abigor said grimly. "And now there's no hope we will ever defeat the Shape-Shifters."

"Are you positive she was a pixie?" I asked, exasperated.

"Yes, she had the tattoo on the inside of her wrist. Here." He said, handing me a folder. Inside, was a picture the women I had just killed. Underneath was her information.

"Keyr?" I said aloud, knowing I had heard that name before. "Did she have a daughter?" I asked quickly.

"Well…" Abigor said, typing on a computer. "Yes! She does. She goes to Hollywood High. 16. Lives with her step mother. No other siblings." Abigor looks at me. "She could be our last hope. There were no other pixies we knew of, but if we can get our hands on her, before the shape shifters, we might have a fighting chance to win this war once and for all!"


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five  
>"What are you doing here?" That was the first thing that I could say when I walked in my classroom the next morning.<br>There, shuffling papers on the teachers desk, was the stalker. That was the only thing I could think to call him, as I saw him everywhere I went.  
>Subconsciously, I smoothed the back of my head, then ran my fingers through the strands, hoping it looked atleast decent.<br>He glanced up, "Hi." My fists clenched angrily.  
>"And I repeat, what are you doing here?" He glanced up at me, eyebrows raised, and shook his head, the white-blond strands brushing over his green eyes.<br>"I'm a substitute here, although that should have been quite obvious." I could only gape at him.  
>"How old are you? One, two years older than me?" I narrowed my eyes at him as the bell rang and he looked up at the clock, as if wondering how class could have already started. He gestured for me to take a seat, lips pressed in a tight line as he tried not to laugh while I sat, arms crossed, at the back of the class.<br>Most of the students were absent, probobly all under the bridge in town smoking pot or having sex in the bushes. However, the few people that were there were huddled in the back corner of the class, drawing on their hands and doodling on their binders.  
>I took out my pen and started to scrawl the date in the corner of the page. As the stalker cleard his throat, I saw some of the girls glance up quickly, their eyes widening as they took in his appearance.<br>I could have killed them all.  
>Really, what was so attractive about him? Sure, he might not be the ugliest guy around town, but their were certainly guys more attractive than him. And his additude kind of spoiled his looks- not that they would know that.<br>"Good Morning, My name is Mr. Jaylen, and I'm going to be your subsitute teacher for this evening." While talking to the class, his eyes had no trace of the sarcastic twinkle and his voice took on a deep timber.  
>A hand shot up from beside me. I didn't have to look to know who it was. Jessica Rellie.<br>Jessica was 18, a year older than I was, with short spiked hair. It was a rusty auburn colour- clearly dyed -had grey-blue eyes, and practically hit on everything that moved, girl or guy.  
>His eyes moved over her lazily, as if trying to see what she could possibly have to ask. Sighing, he nodded at her to speak.<br>"How old are you?" She purred, chewing on her pen cap, the plastic twisted and disfigured from previous classes of doing nothing but munching on the blue top.  
>"I'm 19." He said curtly, turning to the board and writing a couple of sentences from the open textbook he had balancing on his other arm.<br>"Really? Only 19, and you're teaching? That's very impressive." She glanced up from underneith her eyelashes, a sultry smile tugging on her lips. He glanced over at her coldly.  
>"Impressive or not, I don't care. I came here for a reason, and you're not it." He turned back to the board. I stiffled a smile and concentrated on copying what he was writing down.<br>The Dieppe Raid, also known as The Battle of Dieppe, Operation Rutter or later on Operation Jubilee, during the Second World War, was an allied attack on the German-occupied port of Dieppe on the northern coast of France on 19 August 1942.  
>I finished writing the paragraph down on the lined paper, the purple ink of my pen matching my tattoo perfectly. As I glanced up for the next line, I realized that the stalker wasn't standing by the board anymore. I jumped at a tap on my shoulder and turned around, seeing him there.<br>"Talk to you after class?" He murmured, his mouth at my ear, sending tingles down my spine. I nodded, not able to say anything.

The class went by quickly, and as the clock ticked closer to when the bell rang, my heart started to race. Why? I had no idea.  
>The familiar bell rang through the hall as people started to collect their books. I spotted Jessica standing next to the stalkers desk, giggling at something he said. He leaned against the wall, smiling at her. I clenched my fists and walked away, going over to the door where Zak poked his head in.<br>"Hey there." He smiled and gave me a hug. As soon as his arms wrapped around me, I heard a snap and saw the stalker standing a couple steps away from me, arms folded and his hair falling in his face.  
>"I needed to talk to you, remember?" He stared at Zak, "Out." Zak raised his eyebrows, a clear 'what's your problem' written on his face. I rolled my eyes and shook my head.<br>"Bye Zak." I walked back to a desk, perching on the top and waving as he shut the door.  
>"Bye Ir-" His farewell was cut short as the stalker shut the door in his face.<br>I looked at him, "Wow. Way to be rude. I thought you were supposed to be nice, being a teacher and all."  
>"P.D.A- Public displays of affection. It's against the rules. And, being a teacher, I'm supposed to enforce the rules. So really, it's not being rude." He glared at me.<br>"We're not dating. We're friends, not that it's any of your buisness."  
>"I don't particularly care."<br>"That's not what it looked like." I retorted. His eyes grew wide for a second, the narrowed.  
>"And what are you suggesting? That I have a problem with it? No, I don't. So don't ever come to that assumption again." He hissed, his green eyes narrowed to tiny slits.<br>I held up my hands in a sign of peace, "Relax, I didn't mean it." He glared at me another second before turning away, pulling out his phone as it started to ring.  
>"Hello?" He paused, "Yes. No, don't get Abigor, it's all under control. The daughter? Hit and sink. Yeah, he was right." He turned away, pulling the phone from his face, "I'll be right back." He murmured.<br>I nodded. Abigor? What kind of name is that? I thought. The entire conversation- as far as I could tell, only hearing one side of it -sounded weird. I decided to follow him. I opened the door a crack, then stopped. He was right outside the door.  
>"Yeah, I have the pixie's daughter here. Obviously I'm keeping an eye on her, what do you think I am, a novice?" He paused, listening, "I think I could get her out. Have Vixen- yes, I want Vixen -to come around front with the car. Thanks. Bye." He clicked off and turned, then froze, seeing me in the doorway. His mouth opened, then closed again, not knowing what to say.<br>"Pixie?" I asked, voice squeaking as I tried not to go into hysterics. "You, 'think you can get her out'? Who's her? Me?" My eyes were wide, my chest rising and falling quickly as I hypervenalated.  
>"It was- That..." He fumbled to get a sentance out, his eyes still wide.<br>Just then a shot ran out, a bullet piercing the door window by my head. There was a small hole where it went through. The stalker flew at me, knocking me to the floor and cursing.  
>"Get off of me! You- Your a freak! A stalker! You're-" He cut me off.<br>"Lucas. I'm Lucas." He said breathlessly, leaning over me and shieling my head from other shots. He glanced up quickly, "We have to go. Come on." He grapsed my hand and yanked me out.  
>I resisted, "No. That's just what you want isn't it? Me to trust you, to go outside where you're friend- Rixen, or Vixen or whatever -to come and get me. Is that it?"<br>Lucas glared down at me. "Does this look like 'it'?" He shrugged off the shoulder of his shirt, wincing in pain as he showed me a bullet hole.  
>"You got shot?"I screeched. He nodded, not paying attention to me anymore. He put his shirt back on properly and yanked me with him again, and this time I allowed myself to be pulled by him as the shots continued to blow throughout the school.<p> 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Hurry _up!_" I shouted over my shoulder at Iris. Even with my wounded shoulder, I was still faster than her.

"Hey! These stubby legs can't carry me very fast!" she shouted back in defence.

I turned around to Iris, and slung her over my shoulder, intending to carry her the rest of the way. As soon as I straightened up, I felt all the blood rush to my head. "Whoa." I stumbled, setting her down. "Can't do that." I muttered, steadying myself, but still seeing stars. I clutched my shoulder. Blood had seeped through my shirt, and looking back, I saw there was a trail of blood leading to where we were standing.

"I'm losing blood. Fast." I stammered.

Iris looked around. "Here!" she said, and dragged me into a nearby janitors closet, shutting the door behind her with a sickening 'CLICK'.

I limped a few feet, and then collapsed in a corner, breathing heavily. The pain of the bullet wound in my shoulder grew more intense by the second. "I need bandages," I croaked, barely above a whisper.

"Uh uh uh okay." Iris stammered, looking around the room desperately. There wasn't much on the shelves, and everything was disorganized. "Here's uh, a sponge. And, oh duct tape!" she said, throwing the items onto my lap. "And a pocket knife." She finished, I looked around at the various materials that were supposed to keep me alive. I didn't have much hope.

I took off my blood soaked shirt, and tossed it crumpled in a corner. Iris' eyes widened, and then quickly turned into a glare. I chucked. "C'mon." I said. "I'm pretty hot for a substitute teacher."

Her glare hardened. "You were a horrible sub," she said under her breath, just loud enough for me to hear. I smiled. I liked the fact that she had to try so hard to hate me. I liked a challenge.

Iris cut the sponge in half with the pocket knife. She put one half over the wound, a little harder than necessary, which made me gasp for breath. I balled my hands into fists until my knuckles turned white, in order to brace the pain. She muttered an apology. She ripped the duct tape into four even pieces, and taped the sponge onto my shoulder. I sighed, relived, and Iris smiled proudly. A couple seconds later, the sponge plopped off and into my lap. I looked up at Iris. She was still starring at the sponge, trying hard to mask her panic.

"Well that didn't work…" I said.

"Nope." She said bluntly, still starring at the bloody sponge.

"I need some kind of cloth. Something we can tie around it." I thought aloud. Iris finally looked up, smiling, like she had a plan. She took the pocket knife and cut the bottom of her shirt into four even pieces, and wrapped it around my shoulder, tying it tightly. I grimaced from the pain. "That should do it," she said.

"But you will be cold," I said quietly, looking down.

"You have a bleeding shoulder. Ill live." She said simply, plunking down beside him. "Now what?"

"We wait." I said calmly.

"Until?"

"The Shape-Shifters come. Then, we're dead."

She sighed. Suddenly, a burst of pain erupted from my shoulder. I cried out, slamming my head against the back wall, and grasping Iris' hand. I looked over at her awkwardly. "Oh." I let go. "Sorry."

"It's okay," she smiled, and took my hand, squeezing it. I smiled, and squeezed her hand back. She looked up at me. I leaned in towards her. She didn't pull back, she leaned towards me. We were inches away from each others face when a bang on the door startled us, and we whipped our heads towards the door.

The person continued banging. "We know you're in there! Come out pixie!" A female voice screamed.

Iris' head spinned towards me. "Pixie?"

I sighed. "We are so dead."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

The banging on the door continued as I spun and looked at Lucas. His eyes were narrowed and his jaw was locked defiantly.

"Pixie? You're a pixie?" He shook his head, but didn't elaborate much further. Giving the situation of the men outside, I would forgive him-just this once.

"Come out demon!" a male voice shouted.

Well, ouch. That stung. We may be hiding away from them, but I hardly thought that made us 'demons'.

"Okay." Lucas muttered, "Come on." His eyes squeezed shut, then opened wide. His usually green emerald eyes seemed to change colours, two colours mixing together and turning his eyes a murky brown, then fading back to a solid red. I stepped back.

"What the hell!" I shrieked, tripping over a mop handle. I crashed to the floor and winced. He held a hand out to help me up. I shrunk away from his hand. A look of hurt penetrated his features.

"I'm sorry, okay Iris? Just go with it for now. Trust me. Can you trust me?" he looked at me seriously. I nodded mutely and took his outstretched hand. He smiled, just the smallest tweak in his lips.

The people stopped banging on the door, but we could still see the shadows of their feet underneath.

"Okay, I'll count to three," Lucas said, "and then I'm going to open the door. While I distract them, you run." His eyes were fixated on the door; I yanked his arm away, forgetting his injury. He sucked in a breath, and looked at me, teeth grinding together.

"Yes?" he hissed. I glared back up at him.

"No"

He looked at me. "No?"

I squared my shoulders. "No. I'm not running and leaving you behind." Lucas starred at me in disbelief.

"Well then, what are you planning on _doing _then?" he asked flatly.

"Helping you." I said simply.

He rolled his eyes. "What are you going to do that would help me?"

"Give myself up?" I asked, eyebrows raised. He just starred at me, so I rushed on. "Think about it, I surrender, their confused, you get out...everyone's happy."

"Happy?" He shouted, his reaction catching me off guard. His hands went to my waist and he leaned towards me, lips crushing against mine desperately. My hands flew to his hair, wrapping my hands in the light strands, kissing him back.

He pulled away and leaned his forehead against mine. He kissed me again, this time softer.

"That would not make me happy at all," he whispered, hands on my cheeks.

"Okay," I said hoarsely, out of breath, starring into his red eyes. "But neither would me leaving you.' He sighed, hands falling back to my waist.

"Then we'll have to think of a new plan," I nodded, thinking it over.

Lucas snapped his fingers suddenly. "I got it. Just stay behind me."

I nodded and watched him from behind. He muttered something under his breath, in another language I could not identify. Then he stomped his feet three times on the ground. Suddenly, a gigantic hole erupted from the floor. I let out a shriek.

"How did you do that?" I questioned.

He shrugged, smiling a devious grin. "Picked it up somewhere. Hurry." He walked into the black hole, looking back and giving me a reassuring glance before disappearing into the black void.

Taking a shuddering breath, I walked into the hole, just as the door burst open.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I opened my eyes and I was in the clearing where I met Vixen, Alfit, and Jansen. A few seconds later, Iris appeared, looking around, startled.

"Where-" She started.

"Yeah, I have no idea." I said back, interupting her thought. She half-smiled at me, then lit up suddenly.

"We're alive!" She exclaims, "Lucas that was amazing!" She ran and hugged me tightly.

"I know." I said, smiling down at her, then kissign her softly. She smiled up at me. Then something hit me. I remembered who I was. Who _she_ was. What I had to do.

I looked away quickly and jogged over to a tree, sitting down on the cold, soft ground. She slowly walked over, puzzled, and sat down beside me.

There was an awkward moment of silence before she spoke up, "So..." She said quietly, "Who were those people up there?" She spat out angirly.

"Shape-shifters." I said quickly, knowing this conversation was going to go downhill fast, "Aloura, James, Vix and Bartol."

"So... woah- wait. What?" She said, confused, "Shape-shifters exist?"

"Yup."

"Oh yeah? Well then how come none of them like, transformed into a mouse and crawled under the door?"

"They can only transform into one animal. For example, Aloura," I paused, cringing at her name, "Can only transform into a bengil tiger." I said simply.

"Okay, fine. Let's say shape-shifters _do_ exist. Why were they asking for a 'pixie'? I'm assuming _they _exist too?" Iris stared at me, and I continued not to look at her.

"They exist..." I said cautiously.

"Uh huh. So what's the 'shape-shifters' deal?" She questioned, still staring at me.

I sighed and looked at her. "Alright. It goes alittle like this..."

"A long time ago, the demons and the shape-shifters had a truce. Since we were both more powerful than any other of the supernatural species, we would not kill any of the other races, in order to keep peace.

"But then, one of the shape-shifters _broke_ the truce, killing _our_ cousins, the angels. This mad eout ancestors very angry, so he declaired war on the 'shifters. The war commerced and both sides won and lost battles, as they were of equal strength in number and agility.

"Finally, someone realized the blood of a pixie- mixed with the right incantations -would strenghten one side. So the 'shifters and the demons killed as many pixies as they could, desperatly trying to become stronger than the other. But they failed, and remained at equal terms. As the years wore on, they continued to kill pixies and now there are barely ay left. That is why the 'shifters wanted the pixie."

She was silent for a moment as she absorbed the knowledge, "So how aer we involved in this?" She asked quietly.

I ignored her. "The demons got the last pixie, and preformed the ritualthat would put them above the shape-shifters once and for all. They got a proffesional to come in. Me. But the ritual went wrong and ended up not working. The demons thought all hope was lost until the realized that the woman had a daughter."

I looked at Iris. She was frozen, barely breathing. "Iris. I'm a pixie executioner, and a demon. And you, are the last remaining pixie."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9  
>My heart was thumping painfully in my chest and I froze, trying to take calm breaths.<br>"I'm... a pixie. Right. You're crazy. Freaking crazy." I got up and started walking away from him.  
>"Iris, where are you going?" He called out, running up behind me and grabbing my hanf, spinning me around to face him.<br>"I'm getting away from you. You're physcotic." I yelled, snatching my hand back and glaring at him.  
>"Iris, please. Give me a couple minute to expla-" He cut off from what he was saying. "No, nevermind. You're right. It's better if you go." He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as if saying that had physically hurt him.<br>I sat down, contemplating what to do. I was a pixie? The thought was ridiculous. Although...  
>I walked over to Lucas and yanked his right arm up, flipping it over to see the inside of his wrist. There was a black tattoo of a triangle with thick line through it. Just below it was a branded 'X' on his skin.<br>Lucas looked up at me, confused.  
>"What are these?" I asked, biting my lip.<br>"The first mark shows what I am. You get it when you're 16, maybe 17. And the second shows I'm loyal to the Talavyr." He said, sounding exhausted.  
>"The... Talavyr. Those are all demons, right?" I asked, moving a little closer to him.<br>"Yeah." Lucas replied, shifting my way until we were a foot apart, "I thought you were leaving." He murmured breathlessly, placing his hand on my arm.  
>"So did I."<br>"And then?" He prompted, "What made you choose to stay?" Both of his arms were now on my sides.  
>"You." I said simply. His eyes softened and he moved closer to me, so close we were touching.<br>He leaned down and kissed me softly, his arms winding around my waist.  
>I pulled back, "This isn't a good idea." Lucas ignored me and started raining kisses on my neck.<br>"This really isn't a good idea." I said unsteadily. He sighed and pulled back.  
>"Why?"<br>"Well, isn't this like... dangerous for you you? I mean, you're loyal to this... Talavyr cult thing. You hunt people like me." Lucas just shook his head.  
>"Iris, I don't care about the war. The others can rot in hell if it meant you would be safe. I'm nothing without you."<br>I stared up at him and stood on my toes, kissing him quickly.  
>"We need somewhere to stay," I said, looking around, "I'm freezing."<br>He nodded, pulling me close. "There's a warehouse somewhere here. We could stay there for te night." I agreed and we started to walk, eventually seeing a small gray building, shrouded by tree's.  
>It took us a while to get to the warehouse, tendrils of grass and vine wrapping around our ankles.<br>Lucas crept up to the house, nudging the door open with his foot. It opened with a creak. He poked his head in the doorway, checking to see if anyone was there.  
>I shouldered past him, not caring if anyone was there, I was tired.<br>We lied down, me curled up on Lucas' lap.  
>"Hey Lucas?" I murmured, feeling his hand brush through my long hair.<br>"Hm?"  
>"I'm the daughter of that pixie you guys had right? She's my mom?" I asked in a quiet voice, feeling him stiffen.<br>"Yeah, you are."  
>"What happened to her?" I asked. He sucked in a breath and looked at me.<br>"Iris, listen. You... you know what my job in the Talavyr, right?" My eyes widened as I realized where he was going with this.  
>"You killed my mother?" I shrieked, getting up off him and looking down at him.<br>"Iris, listen. Then, I didn't know I would meet you, or that I would feel this way about you." He got up off the floor and looked at me desperately. I settled back down on the floor, the opposite corner he was at.  
>"Just... go to sleep." I muttured, tears sliding down my face. My hair hung down, shielding my face with a curtain of chesnut strands.<br>Lucas stared at me for a while before sitting down, running his hands through his hair and cursing. His hands balled into fists and he punched the wall beside him.  
>I fell asleep, my eyes drooping as I fell into unconsciousness.<p>

Save the dying race...  
>I woke up screaming, my bloodshot eyes flying open. Lucas was instantly on his feet, rushing over to me and kneeling beside me, brushing my hair back to reveal my tear stained face.<br>"Iris." Lucas was holding me, his arms wrapped around my shoulders as I shook, "Iris what the hell happened?"  
>"I'm going to die." I sobbed, burying my face in his shoulder.<br>I remembered the dream.

It started out in a forest, than flickered to a quick scene in the same warehouse I was sitting in. There was a woman in a chair, her long hair falling infront of her face. Even without seeing her face, I knew who she was. My mother.  
>She was bound and gagged, her skin slick with blood. There were runes carved into her ivory flesh, and tears dripped down onto her lap.<br>Then, another person came into view. Lucas. He looked the same, but wore a different expression... cold, like a stone. Showing no emotion. He takes a knife and cuts a swirling line on the back of her hand, and it starts to immediatley fill up with blood.  
>My mother's head lifted, showing her beaten face. I could tell she was beautiful, dispite the ugly black and purple bruises on her jaw and forehead.<br>The scene flickered again, and this time it's another woman, this time slightly smaller, bound and gagged, her frayed brown hair falling infront of her face, sheilding it from the world. Again, Lucas comes in and makes the same cut on the woman's hand. When she cries out in pain, it's a voice that makes me stop cold. The head lifts and I see me, being beaten and tortured by Lucas.  
>The scene freezes, and my mother comes into view, whispering those four haunting words to me, Save the dying race...<p>

Lucas pushed my shoulders back gently, "Iris, you're not going to die. I won't let you."  
>I rubbed my eyes, the tears spilling over my cheeks, "It's going to be you that kills me Lucas. It's going to be you." His eyebrows shot up, and his eyes widened.<br>"Iris, i'm over the executioner thing. You know that. I'm not going to hurt you." He soothed, his hands running over the back of my head, smoothing the hairs.  
>"I don't know that. You could turn at me... any second." I wailed, breaking down again and shaking, deep tremors that vibrated through my veins.<br>"I won't Iris. I promise." Lucas pulled my face up to his and kissed me softly. I pulled away.  
>"Lucas. I saw you kill my mother." I whispered, voice hoarse. My throat felt raw and it hurt to talk over a murmur. He sat back and looked at me. I continued, "You didn't show any emotion at all... You were like a moving sculpture. How could you not feel anything?" I stared up at him, eyes flooding again.<br>"I have no excuses Iris, you know that." He murmured, his green eyes staring straight at me.  
>"I want to sleep."<br>"Do you want to come over here with me?" He asked, knowing the answer.  
>"I don't think so." He nodded, walking over to the opposite corner and falling asleep quickly. I waited until his breathing evened out, and then slipped out the warehouse door. I couldn't stay there anymore. I needed to leave.<br>I was only two steps into the forest before I heard a twig snap behind me. I whirled around, expecting to see Lucas there. Instead, a large bengil tiger sat down on it's haunches, watching me.  
>I stared at it, transfixed in it's orange eyes. It wasn't until it was too late to scream that I heard the people coming up from behind me, and then the world went dark.<p> 


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

"Where is she?" Afrit asked me boldly. It was morning, and the bright sun on my eyes was way too bright. I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes as I pasted him, and looked behind a tree. She wasn't there. We started looking everywhere, but we couldn't find her. I started to panic, if I had lost the last pixie, there would be a price on my head. We wandered into the forest, looking for hours, but she was no where to be seen.

"I found her!" I heard Vixen shout off in the distance. I jogged towards him. He was standing above a girl passed out on the cold, forest floor. "Is this her?"

I looked at her, sleeping peacefully. Her long, chestnut hair tangled around her shoulders, and she smiled in her sleep. "Yes that's her." I said. "Let's bring her down to Abigor. We have to finish this once and for all."

҉

I sat down on the leather chairs in Abigor's office. Looking around, I realized I had never gotten a closer look. The walls were a dark wood, and pictures decorated the walls from floor to ceiling. Their not the kinds of pictures you would find in a normal office of course, they were pictures of war, blood spatter and dismemberment. In the middle was a large, mahogany desk, scattered with papers on rituals, pixies and most of all, the shape shifters.

I was startled when Abigor pushed open the door roughly. I stood in respect, because he _was _the oldest member of the Talavyr. He had been their when they first made the pact with the shape shifters, before all this war had began.

"It is done." He said simply. "She is dead."

I nodded briskly, smiling. Finally, we would stop this pointless war, and put an end to the shape shifters reign of terror.

"We're leaving now." He said, opening a desk drawer and pulling out what looked to be a map.

"What? Whoa now? We're just going there?" I exclaimed, stepping towards him,

"Yes. Demon hole. Come with me." He said, turning and walking quickly out of the room. I followed him, struggling to keep up with his pace. He opened a door with an old looking key, and without hesitation, or words, stepped in the room. Already, Jansen had opened a Demon hole, and it was swirling in a corner of the room. In the middle of the room was Iris. She was tied to the chair, her head lying limply to the side, dead. Blood poured from her wounds, making a deep crimson puddle on the floor around her. I smiled; proud I had done a good deed in bringing her here, and helping bring an end to the war.

"Alright let's go." Vixen said, ever so cheery, and jumped into the hole. Afrit, Jansen, Abigor and I followed him, and suddenly, we were up against the wall of a castle.

"Okay here's the plan." Abigor started. "There are only 3 Shape Shifters we need to take out in there. If we kill them, everyone else will just flee. Jansen, Vixen and Afrit- you go after James. I'll get Bartol and Lucas," he looked at me. I nodded. "You have to get Aloura." I grimaced and nodded, knowing my duty, and convincing myself not to let personal 'feelings' get in the way. We all nodded and went our separate ways. I ran around to the back of the castle, and looking through the windows. I saw the reflection of a female in one of them, and assumed it was Aloura.

"Visurus magam magni solis filiam!" I shouted, and was immediately whisked off my feet and was flying in the air, eyes set on the window. I crashed through the window, doing a quick roll and standing up. Aloura spinned around startled, and soon smiled. "Lucas. What a pleasure. What brings you here?"

"You know why I'm here Aloura." I sneered.

"Yes." She said, frowning playfully. "You're here to kill me, aren't you?" She walked towards me slowly, taunting. "I hear you killed the pixie girl. The last one was it? What was her name again… Oh yes, Iris." She said, smiling, walking even closer. I knew I should have walked back but I didn't. "Cute little thing. I bet it was torture for you whenever they killed her. Listening to the screams." She grinned widely, her teeth poking out like fangs.

My face remained blank. "I had no attachment to her."

"Oh, well then I'm sure it will be no problem killing me then." She smiled, finally stopped walking towards me, and shrugged. "Go ahead. Hit me with your best shot."

I walked towards her slowly, and she didn't back off. She just watched amused. I swung my hand back, to punch her in the face, and just inches away from her jaw, she caught it. She starred at me in the eye, glaring hatefully, for a few very long seconds. Quickly, I reached for her face and pulled her closer, my lips pressing against hers. She kissed me back, harder. We continued kissing, until I felt something cool against my neck. I pulled back slowly, as Aloura smiled up at me, her cold steel blade against my skin.

"Are you ready to die Lucas VanStellar?" she asked, a smile playing on her lips.

I fell to my knees, and reached my neck back even further. "Just do it," I said quietly, preparing myself for the burst of pain, seconds to come. I felt my skin ripe apart, and the blood spew out as I gasped and widened my eyes.

My eyes flew open, and I sat upright, my hands digging into the cold grass beneath me. I was sweating, and sore from spending the night on the ground. "_It was just a dream,_" I reassured myself, like a mother to a crying infant. Suddenly I remembered. "Iris?" I screamed spinning around quickly, not finding her anywhere in sight. "Iris! Iris!" I screamed her name over and over, running around in a panic. I finally sunk to my knees, a single tear rolling down my cheek. I touched the ground, feeling the paw print that was moulded there. A print from a Bengal tiger.

"Iris no…"


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I woke up from unconsciousness by water being splashed onto my face. I coughed and sputtured, the icy liquid seeming to suffocate me.

"Good, you're awake." My eyes opened slightly, and I lifted my hands to try and clear the water from my eyes. The strain of metal clasps around my wrists stopped me, and so I settled for tossing my head to get the hair out of my face.

"Where the hell am I?"I asked, looking around. The room was small and white, looking as if it was drenched in cleaning products every two hours. My captor looked familiar, with narrowed orange eyes and silvery blond hair. She ignored my question and advance on me, the light glinting odd the silver knife she held, it's handle engraved with runes and designs that seemed to glow.

Just then, a young boy walked in, no older than his early teens. He had dark brown hair and bright blue eyes, which were cast down. Aloura didn't pay attention to him, just called out, "Relic." He didn't seem to hear her and continued to walk over to a counter and started to wash the weapons there. He looked no older than 11 or 12.

"You're bringing a _kid _into this? You're terrible." I snarled, looking at the boy.

"You think it's terrible? You have _no_ opinion in this, so don't bother voicing." She growled.

"Aloura?" The boy called out hesitantly. Then I realized who she was. The girl who cornered me in the alley, where I met Lucas for the first time. She paid no attention to Relic.

"Aloura, listen. This fight between you and the demons- you don't have to take part in it. This isn't your responsibili-"

"Not my _responsibility?_" Aloura shrieked, her voice shrill. Relic paid no attention, just continued to clean the weapons. "Just _shut up_. You're just trying to buy time before your demon lover comes to 'rescue' you. Well- news flash -he's not going to. How do I know? Because he did it to me. He said he loved me, he would protect me. Then he goes off and _abandons_ me right when-" I groaned, inturrupting her.

"Can you speed it up a little? I mean, I know the whole monologue thing is supposed to be a huge deal with the bad guys, but if you don't kill me now, this rant is going to." Despite my bravado, I was scared. Terrified, really. But I knew if she was aware of this, I would die alot faster than I would now.

_Lucas... come on. Where _are_ you?_ I thought desperately.

Aloura screamed in frusteration at my sarcasm, and drew back her hand, slepping me across the face, the resounding 'smack' echoeing throughout the small white room. It stung, making my eyes water. But I refused to show any kind of weakness in front of her so I kept my head straight and stuck out my tongue at her.

"Don't be acting so confident." Aloura hissed, clenching her fist and narrowing her eyes.

I shrugged, "Really, what have I got to lose at this point?" Aloura's teeth ground together and she pulled out her knife, slashing a line on my cheek. I bit my lip and stared straight ahead, ignoring the drops of blood that ran off my cheek and onto my arms.

"A hell of a lot more than you think you do." She murmured, her eyes flashing. There was a sinking feeling in my stomach- Aloura was right. She could do whatever she wanted to my friends and family. I had to play it smart.

"Aloura, listen." I pleaded, trying not to hypervenalate. The new-found logic that she could hurt Zak, Chandra, my family... it was gut-wrenching.

"No, Iris. It's too late for you're cries. I don't care." She sneered, leaning into my face. I heard the chains rattle and realize that it was me, shaking. I swallowed and closed my eyes, feeling my blood heat up.

_I'm dead. _I realized, fear making my blood heat faster. _I'm dead, and Lucas is dead, and my friends and family are dead... _

"_Relic!_" I heard Aloura scream, and I opened my eyes to see him standing working, not listening to what Aloura was yelling about. Beside him was a blinking light with the weapons pile that I hadn't noticed before. _A bomb_. He must have hit something to activate it whenever he was fiddling with the other machinery.

"_Relic move!_" Aloura shrieked desperatley, waving her arms around but not daring to get closer to the bomb.

_Why isn't he moving?_ I thought despairingly. Then I realized. He never paid attention to Aloura whenever she was yelling, only when she made a sudden movement... The boy was _deaf_.

"No." I whispered. The light blinked a couple more times, faster, before it finally exploded. The force of the blow knocked the chair I was sitting on toppling backwards onto the floor, my chained hands not able to support my fall. My head hit the ground with a sickening crack.

Aloura was on the ground next to me, crimson blood on her arms and face. The walls around us were spattered with bits of gore and blood, pieces of Relic that had been flung from his body. The white of the walls just made the red stand out more than it should have, and I felt my stomach churning as I thought of the boy.

_He was so young..._ A tear rolled down my cheek.

"Aloura." A man's voice called out. She scrambled up and turned her head slightly to see a man with brown hair, gray strands streaking in it. He had a calm expression- despite the bits of human flesh littering the walls -and blue eyes that held a spark of wisdem in their depths. From the way that Aloura dipped her head respectfully, I figured that he was important. I mean, there wasn't alot of things that could get the blond headed bag of trash to act polite.

"Bartol." Aloura murmured, her voice cracking from grief for Relic. Bartol gazed around the room curiously, inspecting the chunks of flesh and the puddles of blood around the room.

"What happened?" He asked, his voice cool and collected.

"Relic... He didn't realize the bomb had been set off." She said, tears sliding down her cheek. Bartol walked over to her, and for a second I thought he was going to comfort her, but instead he struck her, his hand leaving a red mark on her cheek.

"Crying is for weak people. Are you weak Aloura?" He asked, voice getting louder. She shook her head, earning her another slap. "Out loud." He ordered.

"No. I am not weak." She said, clenching her fists. He nodded, then stepped around her to come look at me.

"Aloura, get the others. We have a ritual to do, then a battle to finally win."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

I swung open the door, feeling as though I was walking down death row, knowing I would be hung. When I entered, Abigor saw me and grinded, standing. Strange, I don't think I've ever seen him smile.

He greeted me warmly, sticking out my hand and shaking it quickly. "Lucas, how great to see you. Sit down, sit down." I smiled nervously and sat down in a chair in front of his big oak desk. Looking around, I realized that his office looked exactly as it did in my dream. At least that fact was right.

"So, you had no problem finding Iris then?" He asked.

"Well, no that was no problem, but-" I answer quickly but he cut my off.

"And there was no problem with getting her out of the school?"

"Well not really but-"

"So then-"

"I don't have her!" I exclaimed, finally getting my word in. "The the the, the shapeshifters got her right before I was going to take her here. We stopped for the night and I woke up and she wasn't there! Aloura took her!" I sighed, falling back in my chair.

The smile quickly disappeared from Abigor's face. After a couple seconds he gulped and leaned forward. "Now Lucas. You bring me that pixie by tonight," he stopped, dramatically. "Or else."

"By tonight? That's impossible! I don't even know where she is!"

Abigor smiled widely. "Well that's your problem not mine. I suggest you get to it." He looked at his watch. "Noon is approaching."

҉

I tapped my foot impatiently as the elevator descended at a deathly slow pace. The annoying hum of the music rang through my ears, and finally, "DING!" and the doors slid open. I walked out into the abandoned underground parking garage, and the doors slid shut behind me. It didn't take long to find Challen in a corner, scratching his long finger nails against the cement walls. I walked over to him, and nodded.

"Challen.

"Lucas." He said, stretching out the s like a snake. "What can I do for you?" His voice was raspy and wheezy, but quiet.

I held out a picture of Iris. "Can you tell me where this girl is?"

He took the picture with his filthy hands, caked in dirt and dried blood, from previous kills. He ran the picture through his fingers, as if he could feel her face. He nodded, tossing the picture at my feet. "Yes."

I picked up the picture quickly and stuffed it in my pocket, and smiled down at him. "Oh thank Challen! Where is she!"

"Ah ah ah…" he said tauntingly. "Not without a price."

"Anything." I said quickly, not because I would lose my job, or that I would be killed, because I promised her I wouldn't let her die.

Before I could even blink, I felt the sting of a knife across my upper forearm, and Challen sprung at me. Reacting quickly, I put my hands up and pushed him to the ground, and he hit the pavement hard.

"Ouf." He muttered, rubbing his back. "You agreed to the price?"

"Ya but thanks for telling me first!" I exclaimed sarcastically.

"Your welcome," he says genuinely, and yanks my arm down to his mouth, sucking the blood out of the wound. I grimaced, and looked away, trying to ignore the fact that some guy was sucking on my arm. Finally he was done, and signed, slumping backwards onto the ground. "Yum demon blood." He licked his lips. "Haven't had blood like that in forever!"

"Ya well that's because most of are dead. Now- tell me where she is. Please." I begged.

He shrugged and continued licking his lips in a way that creeped me out. "She's in Indium."

"Thanks Challen." I went to shake his hand, but retreated, and turned and quickly walked the other way, creating a demon hole quickly and going to find Iris.

҉

I walked quickly and quietly through the halls of the Shape-Shifters hideout. Each door I passed, I looked in the windows, scanning for the faces of either Iris or Aloura. I stopped, and went back to the window I had just passed, looking through it again. There were three bodies, two male and one female in the middle. "That must be them," I thought to myself, and swung the door opening quickly, shouting "Ha!" Unfortunately, three people turned around that were not Aloura or Iris, it was three guards. I thought quickly, "Uh hey guys!"

They laughed and introduced themselves. They were Eric, Dewlyn and Avril, and they were here for the ritual, which would take place in about half an hour.

"So they got the pixie then?" I asked, trying to get information out of them.

"Ya, wasn't that hard. I hear the demon they got to get her was such a nut." Eric said, nudging Dewlyn and laughing. Avril and I joined their laughter, but I glared at him, knowing I could slit his throat in an instant. But I couldn't yet, not before I found out where Iris was.

"So…Where is the ritual?" I asked.

"Right across the hall." Avril answered.

"Awesome." I said, and reached behind me, pulling out a knife from a holster on my back. Avril was the closest, and I swung my arm in an arc and soon her head was rolling across the floor. Eric screamed and Dewlyn transformed into a bat and flew for the nearest window. I decided to go after Eric first. I backed him into a corner, and he picked up a chair in defence. I kicked right through it, and took my knife and stabbed it in the corner of his shirt, pinning him to the wall. I grabbed another knife from behind me and pinned the other side. I looked at him smiling. "I've always wanted to do that."

I kicked his knees and he dropped like a sack of potato's both knifes falling to the floor. I frowned. "Never saw that part in the movies…" I grabbed his head and twisted, his face spinning around to face mine in an un-natural place, his eyes still frozen wide with terror. I kicked him over. I looked at Dewlyn, still knocking at the window, trying to get out. I raised an eye brow and opened the window, and he fluttered out. I looked around at my dirty work, and rushed from the room across the hall.

I looked in the window, being careful to keep low, so they wouldn't see me. Aloura was standing off to the side, a long knife in her hand that was dripping crimson blood onto the floor. Iris' head was bowed, and blood drained from her everywhere. I took out my knife, and braced myself to enter the room. I grabbed the door handle and turned.

Locked.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Iris

I cried out, feeling the knife slip and slide through my flesh. Aloura smiled. She was definatley enjoying this way to much. Below me was a basin, pools of blood already starting to form. 

My sobs rang out in the room, making Aloura's grin widen even more. I didn't have a lot of time left... I just hoped it would be quick. 

Aloura tilted my chin up, using metal clasps to hold my head in place- really, it was all just for show. I was too weak to move my fingers, much less my head. Aloura took the knife and moved it across my through, not letting it tear the skin. She wanted to play it out for as long as possible. 

There was the sound of glass shattering and an arm grasped onto Aloura's wrist with such force it snapped the bone. Aloura cried out and dropped the knife, craddling her arm as Lucas undid the cuffs around my ankles, waist, neck, and arms. 

"Iris." He said sternly, picking me up and laying me down on a table. He peeled off his shirt and wrapped what he could, grinding his teeth together. He wasn't just ticked off, he was furious. His eyes glowed red as he turned to face the shape-shifters that entered the room. 

"Grab the pixie, kill the Demon." I recognized Bartol's bored tone and saw him with seven others, all looking at Lucas with masks of hatred. One stepped forward, and I saw Lucas' shoulders tense, his hands clutching the air as if holding onto something.  
>The air started to grow colder and swirl around Lucas, clouds of dark particles swirling around him to form a whip in his hands.<p>

It was beautiful, made up of black and purples that seemed to twist and shimmer in his hands.

"Go." Bartol commanded. A 'Shifter flew from the others and launched himself into the air, seeming to transform as he did.

The skin on his face seemed to move around like maggots, his skin toughening and growing until a full-sized rhino was charging at Lucas, horn pointed.

Without hesitation, he flipped himself over the beast, landing in a crouch and spinning, lashing out with the whip.

It struck with a loud snap, and blood instantly welled, streaming down the rhinos side in a thick line.

As the whip retracted and slid back into Lucas, some of the dark matter stayed, seeping into the wound and turning the 'Shifters blood black.

The shape shifter let out a bellow and shrank, turning back into his human state. His eyes were wide and unblinking-dead.

One of the female shape shifters gave a strangled cry, "Selkir!" then runs towards Lucas.

This time he hesitates-I could see why. Knowing the full potential of the demon weapon, could he still use it? Could he kill?

The way he slashed his weapon answered my question. For me, he would kill.

I tried to get up in a sitting position and cried out, feeling the wounds burst open again. Lucas glanced at me for a second, distracted, and i saw one of the warriors plunge a needle into Lucas' arm. He fell instantly.

"Lucas!" I screamed. I could feel my blood getting hotter, a tide of burning fire rushing through my veins.

All of the shifters glanced up at my anguished cry, i looked down at my hands and saw they were glowing a pale purple that seemed to radiate from my pixie tattoo. The room filled with the light, and I could see my skin stitching itself back together, healing the open wounds.

I continued to cry until I felt my blood drop down to a normal temperature and the light was gone. I opened my clenched eyes and saw I was in a different place entirely. Hearing a wheezy cough beside me, I realized Lucas was there too.

"Lucas!" I slid down next to him, his eyes were shut and his hands were burnt, but besides that he seemed unscathed. Then I remembered he was injected with something-sedatives or poison, I had no idea.

"Iris." he murmured softly. His eyes fluttered softly, then squinted open. "Where are we?"

I gazed around. "No clue." He tried to sit up but collapsed back down, his forehead starting to burn.

"Lucas what did they put into you?" I asked in a quiet voice.

He didn't answer for a couple minutes, causing my heart to thud painfully against my chest.

"Poison." He said shakily.

"You're going..." I choked off, then tried again. "You're going to be alright though?" I made it sound like a statement.

"Doubt it." He muttered, eyes closing. For a moment, neither of us said anything. Then he sat up into a sitting position, ignoring my protests.

"Iris, I need you to know something. If I die, here and now, I want to let you know I love you. I don't care if its stupid, or reckless, or...stupid." He said again. "I love you, and I wanted to say it."

I kissed him, tears sliding down my face. "I love you too Lucas." I murmured, lips still pressing against his. I glanced down at our hands, intertwined, and noticed for the first time, my wounds were healed.

Lucas seemed to notice it too, "Pixies are able to heal themselves," he explained quietly. "Which is good if I'm not here to protect you-ignoring the fact that I did a shitty job."

I kissed him again. "You were fantastic." My fingers started to heat up suddenly, the light pulsing on my finger tips. Lucas pulled away, coughing and wheezing, trying to find a breath.

I glanced between the purple light and Lucas, then quickly pressing my finger to his bare chest. The glow seemed to endorse him, and a green mist seeped from his body. The poison! It must be leaving his body!

I continued to press my hands to his chest, until the light faded back inside me. Lucas stared at himself miraculously, then launched himself at me and rolled us on the grass.

He looked up at me and kissed me slowly.

"I love you, Iris Delilah Keyr."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"How on _earth _do you know where I live?" Iris asked confusion on her face. I decided to skip the explanation and just say "Hurry." And run past her to the tall white building across the street.

She jogged behind me, and walked up onto the porch, as I was trying to unlatch a closed window. She looked over at me. "Dude I have a key." I hung my head, embarrassed and disappointed, "'Kay." She opened the door and ran into the kitchen, throwing open the cupboards. I heard her mumble something, and I walked over. I found her with an open box on the floor, silver wrapping everywhere and cake stuffed in her mouth.

"Oh thank god we still have pop tarts!" she said, crumbs falling from her mouth.

I raised an eyebrow. "Attractive."

"Mhmm." She mumbled, running past me and jogging up the stairs two steps at a time. I followed her. She opened her door and gasped. Her room looked like a war zone. Her chair was toppled over and her closet was torn apart. Her tall lamp had been pushed over and broken a hole in the window, and books, clothes and other things flooded the floor.

"What the hell happened in here," I said, walking into the room. Iris followed me, shrugging. "It wasn't me."

"Yea sorry about that," we heard. We both spun around and there was a man standing in the door way. He was tall, scruffy hair, unshaven. His shirt had stains and holes in it, and his pants were irregular. I heard Iris gasp and straighten her shoulders. "Dad?" she said quietly, but strongly. The man nodded, and half smiled.

"Where's mom?" Iris said a hint of anger in her voice.

"Well she and I kind of…You see what happened was…It ended up-"

"Where's my mom!" Iris shouted, balling her fists at her side. I stepped towards her and put my hand on her shoulder. She was shaking, but she pushed me off. "Where's my mom." She whimpered. "What did you do with her you son of a bitch."

He gulped. "You know she's not your real mom…"

"Yea I know. She didn't give birth to me but she's my mom. Tell me where she is. Now." She demanded strongly, the tips of her fingers sparkling. I bit my lip, and watched her hands, ready to stop her in case she went all pixie on him.

He sighed. "I came here looking for you. I knew the demons and the shape shifters were after you, Iris I know all about that okay. When I got here, and you weren't here, your mother-"He stopped. "Tanya and I got into a little argument and well, we trashed your room. Well, _I _trashed your room… Anyway long story short, she fell and hit her head on your dresser, passing out. I was in such a rage… I wrapped her up in a tarp, put her in the trunk of my car and….drove her into the river." He sighed, bowing his head.

Iris was silent for a few moments. After, she walked slowly up to him and kicked him in between the legs, causing him to cry out and fall to his knees. She looked down at him, and her fingers stretched out into claws, turning purple. I reached out quickly and grabbed her hand with both my hands, ignoring the heat radiating from it. "Iris." I whispered in her ear. "No. Not now. Not you."

She spun at me, her eyes sparkling indigo. "Then who?"

I sighed. "Pack your bag. I'll take care of this." She took a deep breath and nodded, and her hands cooled down. She went into her room, grabbing a bag and stuffing it with clothes and other necessities. Meanwhile, Iris' dad was still on the ground, not daring to get up. She pushed past me, and walked halfway down the stairs, before looking back at me, expressionless. She walked down the stairs, and I heard the door slam shut before I realized I had no idea what to do next.

I cleared my throat. "Up." He didn't move. "Get up." I said, stronger, grabbing him by the shoulder and yanking him to his feet. He didn't look at my in the eye, and his mouth was still a frown. He finally looked at me, and raised an eyebrow. "Who the hell are you?"

"Its better if you didn't know." I said, remembering that I was a demon and technically, this guy thought I would be evil, so I left that out. Who the hell are you?"

"Mervin Kellyr." He said strongly. "Listen-I was only trying to protect Iris." He said quickly.

"So you abandon her at childhood, beat her mother and then kill her?" I shouted, a little too loudly. "You'd better explain yourself quick before I punch your face in."

"Hey! She left _me!" _He exclaimed, and I snorted. "It's true. She took Iris and ran, trying to hide her from herself, trying to make sure she didn't turn into who she was destined to be. Then, I went to visit her, to visit Iris, and she said she gave her to Tanya. So I came here. Tanya and I agreed that Iris needed a father figure, so we "married" and lived like that for a couple years. It all went to hell, when she freaked out at me. I was telling Iris a bed time story, about faeries and dragons and you know-kid stuff! She said that we couldn't tell her about that stuff, because Tanya didn't want Iris to know that pixies even _existed._ I told her she was ridicules, and slapped her, explaining I was her real father and I knew what was best for her. Life goes on, restraining orders come into play and eventually, I become the father that everyone hates."

"With reason…" I said quietly.

"Listen." He said, putting a hand on my shoulder. "I reckon you love Iris. A lot. So do I. She's the only thing I have! If you love someone that much, wouldn't you kill for them?"

I nodded, sighing. "Your right. I would kill for her."

He smiled, then gasped, mouth opening and eye widening in fear as the point of my blade ripped through his stomach and coming out of his back. I used so much force, that my arm actually went through him, and I could feel his insides sliding out around my arms. I yanked my arm out, and he reached down at the gaping hole in his chest, and fell over. Dead.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Lucas came down a couple minutes later, wiping his arm with a wet cloth from the bathroom. I looked up at him, tears streaming down my face.

"She was the only thing I had c;pse to family left. She was my family for 17 years." I sniffled, feeling him hold onto my hand.

"You still have me." He murmured, pressing his lips against my hair. I nodded, hoping he would be enough.

Lucas cleared his throat uncomfortably, "Uh, Iris... about your dad? You're not going to leave me for killing him like you did with your mom- are you?" I cast my eyes downwards, feeling my featherlight eyelashes brush against my cheeks.

"No. He... I hated him." I choked out, letting go of Lucas' hand and grabbing onto my duffle bag so tightly my knuckles turned white. Lucas took my bag from me, prying it gently out of my hands. He tassed me some clothes.

"Get changed," He said, a smile playing on his lips.

I rolled my eyes, "And you? I mea, I appreciate the lack of clothes but what you have on now would probobly draw attention."

"Why Iris, are you admitting I have a great body for a substitute teacher?" He said, referring to whenever we were trapped in the janitors closet at the school.

"Actually, I was reffering to the blood that's caked on you, but hey- whatever floats your boat." He laughed and reached out to pull me towards him. I stepped back and grinned wickedly. He flashed me a small back and leapt, pinning me down ont he couch and kissing me passionatly.

I struggled to get up but he had my limbs pinned, unable tomove. Eventually I gave up and kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck and pulling him closer to me.

He stopped suddenly and pulled away, "It's not that I wouldn't enjoy doing this longer, but your dad..." He murmured, eyes flicking to the stairs. I swallowed. I was getting _way_ to nonchalant about having bodies on my room floor.

I collected the clothes Lucas had pulled out for me while he got my fathers body from upstairs; a pare of dark jeggings and a white american eagle shirt. Yanking them on, I heard Lucas' footsteps coming down the stairs as I finished pulling on my shirt.

He sighed, "A couple seconds too late." I rolled my eyes and realized he was wearing a shirt and a change of pants. I motioned towards them.

"You're family is missing guy clothes," He announced, "So I opened a demon hole and changed clothes." He explained.

"And my dad?" I asked, my voice catching.

"He's gone. I took him with me when I changed." He said gently. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"We should probobly eat." I said, feeling my stomach growl.

Lucas grinned, "No more poptarts?"

"Nope." I sighed ruefully.

"Then the next best thing... Burger King!"

҉

I thought he had been kidding- I should have known better. We were standing in line at the local Burger King, talking to the cashier.

"Welcome to Burger King." He said, his voice nasally. He had greasy black hair and bad achne around his mouth and forehead. Lining his crooked teeth were noticibally bright green braces and he had on a small red name tag that read; Hello, my name is Yves.

He was also checking me out.

Lycas cleared his throat and snaked his arm around my waist.

"Combo 2 and 4, two medium cokes." He said, voice smooth as silk. Yves nodded and punched in the numbers on the cash register, then resumed staring at me.

"14 dollars exactly is your total." He replied, then plopped a bag on the counter. Lucas gave him a 20 and shoved the change in his jeans pocket.

"Creep." I muttured under mybreath as we left the store. Lucas laughed and handed me my chicken fingers and diet coke, then sat down on the curb.

"Why aren't we eating inside?" I asked, settling down beside him.

"Because I think I would punch that dorky cashier in the face if he looked at you again."

I laughed, "You sound serious."

"Oh I am _deadly_ serious." He stared at me, his face straight before I poked him in the ribs, making him crack a smile.

"Liar."

We finished our meal and started to walk to a secluded area outside to create the demon holw when a man stepped into our line of view.

Crap. I had seen this too many times to _not_ know how it played out.

Lucas saw him at the same time I did, judging by when his shoulders tensed up. Then he sighed, running his fingers through his hair.

"Abigor." He called out. The man- Abigor -quickened his pace.

"You got her back? I was starting to think you weren't coming back." I bit my lip. This was _not_ good... not good in the slightest.

"I'm not." He said firmly, getting to his feet and staring Abirgor in the eye.

"Not what?" His eyes narrowed. I remembered what Bartol had done to Aloura whenever she spoke or acted out of place, and I waited for him to try and hit Lucas, my blood singing.

Lucas glanced back at me, "Iris." He warned. I looked down at my fingertips, which were sparkling with purple energy. He turned back to Abigor, "I'm not coming back." The older man looked from Lucas to me with dawning realization.

"Lucas you can't be serious." He sputtured, his eyes widening. Lucas didn't say anything, just stared at him, his chest rising and falling with every breath he took. Abigor sighed, his fingers squeezing the bridge of his nose, "You know what she means to us. We'll be killed without her."

Lucas squared his shoulders, "I don't care."

"Excuse me?"

"I said, I don't care. If you think i'm going to hand over Iris to you just to beat the shape-shifters, you're wrong. Have you ever wondered why none of the rituals worked? Because it's not _real._" He snapped, glaring.

Abigor's jaw clenched, "That's not true. None of the other pixie's were pure bred. They had atleast one human parent. Iris' mother _and_ father were pixies." I felt my heart drop. My dad wasn't a pixie... right? But then again, there was no way to tell. He was gone. I never wanted to see him again- alive or dead.

"And for the _third_ time- I don't care. I'm in love with Iris. I know that's not what you want me to say, but if you want to get her, I'm going to be standing here the entire time."

Abigor sighed, "I'm really sorry Lucas. Truly. You were a great executioner." He whistled and seven, maybe more, people came out of the surrounding buildings and circled us. I knew they were demons.

"You have three days with her Lucas VanSteller," Abigor boomed, "Three days, and then we get her for the ritual. We will keep you on a private island while you wait out your days. We won't supervise you- but don't try to escape. Its impossible. You can't activate any demon holes and theirs only water for three hundred miles. Three days Lucas. Then she's ours."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Lucas

Iris sat beside me, the wind swirling through her long hair. The boat sped fast through the water, bumping through the waves. We were approaching the island fast, and Scott continued to steer clear ahead. I couldn't find the words to tell him I didn't want to go, that I hated being told what to do, or that I wanted to take Iris and run far away, somewhere where the demons or the shape-shifters would never find us. He probably wouldn't care anyways. He had his orders, and I had mine.

God I hated orders.

Scott pulled up against the dock. I jumped out of the boat as soon as we came close, and stuck out my hand to help Iris off the boat. Scott started to say something, but I put my arm around Iris' waist and walked quickly across the dock, shouting my thanks to Scott over my shoulder. We quickly reached the house. It was a mansion, and it looked like something from one of those super hero shows, with the shiny white buildings with the ginormous windows over looking the ocean. I rolled my eyes. Sometimes, Abigor can be so cliche it drove me nuts.

I ushered Iris quickly inside, shutting the door behind me. Iris, strangely happy, skipped into the kitchen, opening all the cupboards, humming the tune of a song. I followed her quietly, trying my best not to show my sulkiness. She gather mini-marshmallows, Pop tarts, M&Ms, chocolate syrup and ice cream and put them all in a bowl, grabbed a big spoon, and continued into the living room. Again, I followed her like a puppy. She sat down in a big lazy boy, pulling the latch the sprung out the feet rest. She sighed, putting her feet up and taking a big spoonful of her ice cream. I quietly sat on the edge of the couch, starring at her silently. As she tried to manoeuvre the dropping substance into her mouth, some dropped on her shirt. She looked down at it and frowned, as if confused how it had gotten there. She shrugged, and took another spoonful, this time more careful to eat it over the bowl. She was successful.

She grinned. "Isn't this place _great?"_

"Yup," I said quietly.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"What's wrong? Whats WRONG?" I shouted. "Iris what's _wrong _with you? Are you completely oblivious to what is happening! You only have three days to live!"

She froze, a tear sliding down her cheek. "Actually I was trying not to think about it."

I clenched my teeth and balled my fist. "I'm going for a walk." I grumbled, standing up and walking quickly past Iris. She just continued to stare at the place where I was, and as I passed her I could see her hands were shaking. Never the less, I walked past her and out the door, slamming it behind me. I walked calmly away, and as soon as I couldn't see the house anymore, I started running. I ran and I ran and I didn't look back. I couldn't handle thing right now. I needed out.

I ended up in a clearing. I looked around and sank to my knees, pounding my fists on the forest floor in frustration. I screamed, my voice draining out into a sad whimper towards the end.

"Lucas?" I heard a quiet voice call from behind me. I looked up and there was Iris, standing above me, looking down. "Lucas? Are you okay?"

I stood up quietly, looking at Iris. Something was different. "Ya, I'm okay." I said awkwardly. "You?"

She smiled. "Yup." She hugged me tight. "Oh I love you Lucas." She smiled up at me. I pushed her away, backing up against a tree. "You're not Iris."

She frowned. "Of course I am silly." She stepped towards me. Big mistake. I stepped forward and drove a knife through her stomach. She gasped, grabbing my arm. I let go of the knife and let her drop. She fell down on the ground, breathing deeply, her hands grasping the knife. Her body began to morph and change, and soon, the tall, blonde haired Aloura appeared, with a knife in her stomach. The red blood spread across her tight white and black suit. She continued to breath heavily, her eyes beginning to roll back in her head.

"I thought Shape-shifters could only morph into one thing?" I asked her, sitting down cross legged beside her head.

She laughed, her voice weak. "You stupid demons don't know anything." She looked at me. "How could you tell it was me?"

"C'mon Aloura. I know the difference between you and Iris." I said rolling my eyes.

She snorted, and raised her eye brows at me. "So thanks for killing me and all. Thought you liked me."

"Aloura that was years ago. I was young and stupid." I said quickly.

"We both we're." She said quietly. "We had a good run though, you and I." She smiled. "Maybe I'll see you down there." She said, motioning her head slightly towards the ground.

I laughed. "Not anytime soon Aloura." I stood up. "Good luck with that though." And walked away, not even looking back at her. I could hear her pain filled screams drown out into sobs and slowly drown out into nothing. I smiled.

"Finally." I muttered.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Iris

I sat on the couch, staring down at my hands. The icecream had melted, the poptart bits and the marshmellows swimming in the pool of sticky liquid. 

The door burst open, making me hop to my feet and run to Lucas, my socked feet slipping and sliding on the hardwood floors. 

"Lucas I'm sorry." I blurted, hanging my head, my hair falling around me. For one heart-stopping minute he didn't respond. Then he wrapped his arms around me and buried his face in my shoulder. His grip tightened, squeezing the breath out of me. 

"Lucas!" I wheezed, "Can't-breath." He pulled back long enough to plant a kiss on my forhead and walked past me, moving slowly to the couch, his shoulders tense.  
>wrapped his arms around my waist and leaned down until his forehead was resting on my shoulder. He started to speak softly, "I killed Aloura." <p>

My stomach dropped. Wasn't she supposed to be unnable to get onto the island? 

Lucas continued, "She was in the form of you." My breath caught. That sneaky little bitch... that's why Lucas was acting weird. He felt as if he had killed me. 

"Lucas," I replied quietly, turning around to face him, my legs on either side of his, "It's okay. It wasn't me." 

"Looked like it." He mumbled, leaning towards me and kissing me, his hands tangling in my long hair. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him back. After a second he pulled away, his eyes clouded. 

"Are you okay Lucas?" I murmured, my head on his chest. He stroked my hair and kissed the top of my head. 

"Not at all." 

"Please don't be upset." I pleaded. 

"Iris," He said seriously, head so close to mine all I could see was the bright green of his eyes, "I am in love with you... and you are going to die. I can't do anything about it. How on earth am I supposed to be okay?" 

"I don't... I don't know what to tell you Lucas. Just... don't do anything stupid whenever they kill me okay?" I saw his eyes widen in disbelief. 

Whoops. Set off a nerve or two there. I scrambled off him and saw his jaw work furiously as he tried to figure out what to say. 

"Not do anything... stupid?" He managed to choke out, "What do you think I'm going to do? Sit around and take it?" He shouted, getting up and glaring down at me, "I'm going to fight for you Iris. And if I can't save you, I'm going to follow you." 

"You're going to kill yourself? Lucas, don't you dare." I yelled back, my hands clenched by my sides. 

"Then what am I supposed to do Iris? Tell me. What am I supposed to do." 

"Anything but that." I screamed, whirling around and tearing out of the house, slamming the door shut and running into the forest. The door opened again as Lucas came out. 

"Iris!" He called out, breaking into a run. 

"Don't." I shrieked, feeling my blood warm up. Realizing what I was doing, I quickly tried to stifle it before I hurt him. He didn't follow as I dashed into the lush forest. Eventually I stopped, my breath coming out in short gasps as I sat down. I had run through the forest and was now in front of the ocean. 

The sun rays flickered off the water's surface, throwing beams of light everywhere as the sun sank down below the horizon. I heard footsteps behind me and didn't turn, continuing to stare at the waves even when Lucas sat down beside me. 

"We only have three days," I said quietly, "We shouldn't spend it yelling at each other." 

"I know, I'm sorry. Can you forgive me?" He asked, folding my hand in his. 

"If you tell me one thing honestly, yes." 

"What is it?" 

"Tell me you didn't mean it." I gazed down at out intertwined hands, trying hard not to let any tears fall down my face.

He stopped for a couple seconds, "If you want me to tell you that, sure. But it wouldn't be honest." 

I bit my lip. This wasn't good for my no-crying plan. 

Lucas rushed on, "Iris, I'll say it a million times, I am in love with you. I can't even imagine trying to exist without you. I need you, and without you, I'm nothing." 

"Lucas- Please. Just... I can't think about that. I can't think about you ending your life without any hesitation because of me. I just can't." 

The tears were starting to fall now, little drops that prickled the sand and left dents in the grainy surface. 

"Then don't." He murmured, his thumb stopping the tears in their tracks. He nudged my head his way with his fingers and kissed me, a slow, steady, kiss that gave me butterflies in my stomach. 

I tangled my fingers in his blond hair and fell backwards, pulling him with me until he was leaning over me, the kiss starting to take on a hint of desperation as his mouth crushed against mine. 

"I love you." I murmured, barely breaking away long enough to say it. 

"I love you too Iris. I love you so much." He mumbled against my lips. We stopped talking then, and just continued to kiss as the sun sank down beneath the waves and engulfed us in a shadows. 

One day down, two to go.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lucas

I slowly opened my eyes. Iris was tangled in my arms, smiling as she slept. I slowly moved her onto the grass and stood up, stretching my stiff arms from the night of sleeping on the ground.

I debated waking Iris up, or just letting her sleep. I decided to leave her, and made my way back to the house.

Finally reaching the mansion, i jumped up the stairs two at a time, and walked into one of the rooms down the hall. I opened a closet, revealing clothes stacked neatly. I peeled off my shirt, which was dirty from sleeping on the ground, and put on the first one i pulled out. Weirdly enough, they were all my style.

I walked into the bathroom. There was a floor to ceiling mirror. I washed my face with cool water, and fixed my hair. I smiled in the mirror. "Hey. How you doin'?" I laughed at myself and walked downstairs.

Downstairs, the kitchen table was decorated with a breakfast feast. Realizing how hungry I was, I sat down, digging in. Soon after, Iris walked by one of the doorways. "Morning!" she shouted, just glancing in as she walked past. She walked back into the door way, confused. "Where-?" she said, pointing at the table of food.

"No idea." I grumbled, crumbs falling from my mouth and onto the plate.

She sat down laughing. "You're a pig."

"Nope. I'm a demon." I winked, turning my attention back to the food.

She smiled. "Why so hungry?" she asked, taking a plate and buttering toast.

"Hey I didn't eat last night." I said. At the mention of last night we both got quiet, and an awkward tension hung in the air. Iris bit her lip and looked down, fingering the piece of toast mindlessly. I tapped my fingers on the table as I tried to figure out something to say.

"I'm sorry." We both said at the same time.

"Don't be." I said, smiling sideways. "You're not the one that flipped and ran off into the woods."

"But I am the one that caused you to flip and run off into the woods." She said back.

"If only I had protected you better this would have never-"

"Save it." she interrupted. "Not your fault, I was born this way."

We both didn't say anything. I ate my food slowly, as she nibbled on her piece of toast. "So..." I said. "After breakfast, wanna go down to the beach?"

She smiled. "Sure."

҉

The beach looked like something from one of those post cards you always see at the airport. Clear blue water, and sand so white it almost looked like snow. We spent the day making sand castles, swimming in the water, and chasing sea gulls. As the sun was setting, we sat down on some towels.

"So..." I said awkwardly, looking over at Iris. She didn't look towards me, just continued to stare at the red sun setting over the horizon. "So..?" she said.

"Tomorrows the last day..." I started, fearing her reaction. She didn't say anything for the longest time, just continued to stare at the sky. "Yup."

"We cannot let them get you. Any thoughts on how we can get out of this?" I asked, hoping she would tell me she did.

"Yup." she said, still not looking at me.

"Oh really. What's your plan?"

She turned towards me, frowning out of the corner of mouth. She took my hand in both of hers and held it tight. "Listen Lucas..."

"Iris? Iris I don't like where this is going..." I said, trying not to let my voice choke.

She sighed. "Lucas, this is my problem, not yours. So this is my decision. You don't have to worry."

"No Iris this _is _my problem. We're in this together. I love you." I said quickly, really scared now.

"I-I love you too." She smiled a little, then looked down at our hands. "But this _is _my decision. And the only way...is if neither of the shape-shifters nor the demons get a hold of me."

"But Iris, their coming for you. Tomorrow. The shape-shifters know your here too. One of them is going to get you." I said quietly, trying to not let my emotions show.

"No Lucas. Neither of them will get me. Because by tomorrow, I'll be gone." She looked at me, her eyes sparkling. My breath caught in my throat, and my heart pounded painfully against my chest. "What..what do you mean?" I choked out.

"Lucas tomorrow, I'm going to kill myself." She said quietly, looking down again.

"What!" I screamed, jumping up, pulling my hand forcefully out of her grasp. She just continued to look down. "No no! I won't let you kill yourself Iris. No you can't! I love you, I need you! You cant do this!" I screamed down at her.

She stood up quietly, not saying anything. She went on her tip toes to put her arms around my neck. She kissed me, slowly, passionately. My hands slid down to her waist, pulling her closer to me. Finally, she pulled away, putting her head on my chest. "I have to Lucas."

"No," I sobbed, hanging my head, burying my face in her soft chestnut hair. "There has to be another way."

"There isn't." she said.

"I can't lose you Iris." I said.

"You have to let me go Lucas." I heard her say, but I wasn't really listening. I let the tears stream freely down my face, pulling her closer to me and rocking back and forth. "Please...No..." I cried.

She stepped away from me, looking me in the eye. Her cheeks were stained with lines of tears. "Yes Lucas. I'm scared, I'm so scared. Please I need you to be strong..For me." She took my hand, squeezing it hard. I squeezed it back harder. "Lucas..Lucas that hurts!" she gasped.

"Oh." I loosed my grip on her hand, so that I was only holding her fingers lightly. "Sorry." I laughed, my voice choking.

She smiled, then frowned. "I'm sorry Lucas."

"Not your fault.." I said quietly. "Not your fault I fell in love with you."

She smiled, kissing me again. "It'll be okay. I promise."

I nodded slightly. "Ya.."

"C'mon." She said, picking up the towels. "Lets go inside."

҉

We both quietly slipped under the covers, with our backs to each other. The bed was so comfortable, but I couldn't think about anything other than Iris. She was right next to me, but I couldn't stop thinking about tomorrow, about how she would be taken away from me forever. I hated those god forsaken demons, and the shape-shifters. I hated who I had become. Most importantly, I hated this stupid war, over things long before my time.

Tomorrow, Iris will be dead. And there's nothing I can do to stop it.

I've never felt so useless.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Iris

I woke up the next morning and stretched my arms out, only to find the other side of the bed stone-cold. Lucas obviously hadn't been there for a while. My stomach sank down to my knees. Where was he? Before I launched into a seizure, he walked in, hair soaking wet, no shirt on, and his pants riding low. He towelled off his hair quietly and then looked over at me.

"Hi." He mumbled. I mentally slapped myself. Why had I told him about my plan? It didn't do anything but hurt him.

"Lucas..." I started, then paused, seeing the expression on his face. He looked defeated. There were dark rings under his eyes and he swayed every couple of seconds before fighting for balance. I hesitated, _Is talking to him about this really the smartest thing to do right now?_ I thought desperately.

"Yeah?" Finally realizing he wasn't going to be able to stand for longer than 2 minutes he sat down on the bed, the soft sheets dipping with his weight.

"Lucas how much sleep did you get last night?"

"Didn't." He sighed, flopping backwards.

"You didn't sleep at _all_? Lucas, you can't do that." One of his eyes opened.

"On the day you're planning to kill yourself, you lecture me about my sleeping habits? Really, Iris?" I didn't reply. What could I have said? There wasn't anything that would be able to make him feel better. So I kept my mouth shut and sat down beside him.

He rolled over and pulled me so that I was lying down, facing him. He kissed me slowly. After a few seconds, he pulled away, "What do you want to do today?" I frowned, thinking it over. My last day alive should be something fun... something with adrenaline that I've always wanted to do- shouldn't it?

"I want to fly." I declared, sitting up and crossing my legs.

"Fly?" Lucas asked me incredulously.

"Yes. I'm a pixie; can't I fly?" I asked, folding my arms and narrowing my eyes at him, "and if I can't, Walt Disney has _a lot _of explaining to do." He chuckled and took my hand, pulling me off the bed and bringing me out the door.

We walked up a steep hill for a while, my breath coming out in puffs as I fought to catch up to Lucas.

"Slow poke." He teased, turning his head to wink at me. I flashed him the finger and sprinted, then felt a sharp pain in my side.

"Ouch," I wheezed, "Cramp." He laughed and picked me up; slinging me onto is shoulders and continuing to run up the slope. The fields and trees passed in a blur, the slope starting to curve and level out as Lucas carried me higher and higher up the mountain.

"Lucas!" I cried, "Put me_ down_." He laughed and placed me on the grass, its sparkling green strands glistening with morning dew and leaving trails down my legs where they brushed against them.

"So, you sure you want to try this whole flying thing?" He asked, poking my waist and making me laugh until I was gasping for breath.

"Positive!" I giggled, jumping up to avoid his jabs.

He leaned on one arm and shrugged, "Okay." He got up and walked over to the mountains edge, staring down with a strange expression on his face.

"Uh, Lucas? Are you sure we should be doing this from the height we're at? I mean, I don't know if I can even _do_ this." I peered over the ledge nervously. Lucas ignored me and stepped back a couple of paces before winking at me and throwing himself off the cliff.

"_Lucas!_" I scream, running to where he launched himself off the edge and looking down, seeing his dark shape plummet to the ground quickly. Without any hesitation I followed, jumping head-first to gain speed and catch up to him. We had climbed up pretty far, leaving a lot of space for me to drop down to where Lucas was, looking as if he was the most comfortable person in the world, despite the fact he was falling to his death.

I however, could not stop screaming.

"_Lucas!_" I shrieked, the force of the wind spilling my tears in the air. He turned to stare at me, then waved, his fingers curling.

"Iris. _Concentrate!_" He shouted, grabbing onto my hand and squeezing his eyes shut. We were nearing the ground now, we were going to die... We were _actually_ going to die.

"_Iris!_" Lucas yelled out again, "_You need to be calm for this to work!"_ I shook my head and clung onto him, the wind lashing onto my skin.

"_I can't!_" I sob.

"_You can!_" He yelled, and then let me go. I shrieked again and tried to hold onto him again, but couldn't. The ground loomed ahead of us, rushing closer and closer.

"IRIS." Lucas grabbed my hands and looked at me with wide green eyes. I closed my eyes.

And then it happened.

I could feel my back bursting with energy, not exactly painful, just irritating. The air around my seemed to knit itself together, like Lucas' whip had... except something was different. Instead of the dark black and purple particles his whip was made of, the wings attached to my back were gold and pink, the colours melting together. They spread out, catching the wind and slowing mine and Lucas' speed until we were gently floating down.

"I told you that you could do it." Lucas breathed once we touched the ground. I didn't reply; too busy inspecting the wings that had erupted from my back. They were light, and felt like silk when I brushed my hand over them. I looked over at Lucas, a huge grin splitting my face.

"I did it!" I squealed, running over to him and jumping into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and my arms around his neck.

"Told you so." He smirked.

"Well, you didn't have to jump off the top of the _cliff_ to prove it to me." I glared, attempting to get down off of him. He pushed me closer to his chest, his hands splayed across my back in order to stop me from leaving. He kissed me then- a long, slow, kiss that made my insides melt.

"Lucas." I murmured, nudging his head towards the horizon. The sun was sinking below the ocean, the colours seeming to bleed across the sky. Ironic choice of words.

His arms tightened around me, "Just one more day." He pleaded.

"Lucas, you know why we can't do that. Their coming, _tomorrow_." He bent his head forward, still not letting me climb off him, and placed his forehead on my shoulder. I bit my lip, indecisive. I _knew_ I had to do this... why couldn't he understand?

I tried to word my thoughts into something that would help him understand, "I need to this. For you, for the other demons and shape shifters. I don't want my life to be taken for a war. I can't die like that. Please Lucas... Please help me do this." He took a deep, shuddering breath and placed me on the ground, eyes closed.

"Iris. I can't let you do this. You know I can't."

"You have to." I whispered quietly. He waited a couple minutes, pain flaring in his green eyes. Then he took my hand and lead my away from the ocean, from the hills. I took a quick look behind me at the twinkling water- it was going to be the last time I saw it.

҉

It turns out that _wasn't_ the last time I saw the ocean. Lucas had climbed into the house for a split second, and then came back out holding an _incredibly_ big knife. The blade twinkled, its sharp blade seeming to sing as Lucas threw it outside, the tip landing in the soft ground and staying there.

As he walked down the wooden panels leading into where I sat, cradling the knife in my hands, he clenched and unclenched his hands angrily. I knew he blamed himself for all of this, but I would rather die like this than die apart of some war.

When he got to where I was sitting, he stared at the knife for a second, his jaw working as he bent down to pick it back up from me.

"Come on." He whispered, his face gone completely pale as I stood up quietly and held his hand, walking to the edge of the water and looking out to the ocean. The light from the sunset was gone, the only light left from the reflection of a crescent moon over the waters rippling surface.

I took slow breaths, mesmerized by the moons glowing reflection. Lucas nudged my shoulder, distracting me, and I pulled my gaze away to stare at him.

He was crying- that much was expected. The thing that shook me to the core was the expression on his face, in his eyes. They showed nothing but how much he loved me. I took his hand.

"I love you." I told him, gazing up at him. He closed his eyes and squeezed my hand so hard it felt like he was going to snap the bones. I didn't care. I kissed him, tears sliding down my face as I crushed myself to him. One of his hands shot up to tangle in my hair, the other still gripping the knife.

He pulled away for a second, "I love you Iris, I always will. Don't forget it okay?" He whispered, his voice cracking in grief. He kissed me again, our tears streaking together to form one. I tried to ignore what was going to happen, think about Lucas and what he just said.

He broke off, collapsing on the ground, "_I can't do it!_" He shouted, banging his fists in the dirt and spraying puffs of sand into the air. I knelt down beside him.

"Lucas. I love you, please do this for me." He ground his teeth together and stood up, pulling me to him and kissing me roughly. My hands flew into his hair and wound around the silky blond strands as he softened the kiss. I felt his arm rise up hesitantly, and then seemed to drop back down.

"Goodbye." He whispered against my lips. I clenched my eyes shut tighter.

Then the knife plunged into my back and turned the whole world black.

_ Goodbye Lucas. I'll always love you..._


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Lucas

I felt her go limp in my arms as the blood slowly trickled down my fingers and dripping onto the ground. I didn't bear open my eyes, I just stayed frozen where I was. I slowly rocked back and forth, clutching onto Iris' hair with my free hand. I slowly inched out the blade from out of her back, which caused more thick blood to trickle from the open wound and onto my hand.

I opened my eyes, and laid Iris on the ground. Her violet eyes were still open, in a unblinking stare up at the sky. Her eyes were a faded colour, almost misty. Her lips were paler as well as her ivory skin. I folded her arms across and closed her eyes. I held her arm roughly, quivering. I bit my lip in order to keep back the tears. I leaned forward, and slowly kissed her on the forehead.

"Good-Bye Iris Delilah Keyr." I whispered, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. I stood up, fists balled at my sides, and walked quickly away, not daring to look back. I knew if I did, then I wouldn't be able to leave. I had promised to protect her, to keep her safe, and I had failed.

I felt like the worst person in the entire world.

҉

I opened the door slowly, walking into the mansion. I kicked off my shoes and slugged into the living room. I leaned back far in the chair, burying my head in the leather. I looked around. Nothing had changed. It was strange, that my entire world had just turned upside down, yet everything looked to be in perfect order.

Not being able to stand being alone downstairs, I ran to the room, taking the stairs two by two. I stopped in the doorway. Clothes were tossed on the floor, sheets were torn from the bedside. I sat on the bed, starring at the wall for no apparent reason. I looked down. Half underneath the bed was Iris' bag that she had brought from her mothers. I grabbed it and looked through it, slowly pulling out clothes and placing them on the bed. At the bottom were things like make up, her phone, pencils and pens. I pulled out a small, spiral bound notebook, tied together with an ribbon. It looked old and torn, and the pages were almost ripped out. I slowly untied the ribbon and opened the book.

Inside were pages upon pages scribbled in messy writing, filled with love, hatred, secrets and feelings. They were filled with thoughts of her dad, the horrible dreams she had, her mother, her friends. I sat their, reading about Iris' life, about all of her experiences, about all the stuff we had never got a chance to talk about.

About three quarters through the book, it stopped. I flipped through the remaining pages, and reaching the end. There was no more writing, except on the last page. On the last page, in small, blue ink, was something written in the bottom corner.

It said.

Iris and Lucas Forever and Always

I heard the book from my hands and hit the floor. I buried my head in my hands. I bit my lip and squeezed my eyes shut, taking shuddering breaths. Finally I couldn't do it. I broke down in tears, rocking back and forth on the bed, thinking about Iris.

҉

I stood up, swaying at first before straightening myself. I walked slowly into the bathroom, looking in the mirror at my appearance. My eyes were blood shot and my face was tear stained. I ran my hands through my messy hair, to no affect. I splashed cold water on my face, then dried it with a cold towel. I didn't look at myself after that, I just kept my head down and walked out of the bathroom and into the hall way.

I walked slowly down the stairs, making sure not to look at the front door. I continued walking into the kitchen. I walked straight for the cub board, shifting around forks and knives until I found what I needed. I flicked the lighter on, and watched the flames dance from the nozzle. I stuck it in my pocket. I found two long knives. I stuck those in my pocket too.

I walked calmly into the living room, and looking under the couch, taking out the red container of gasoline I had already found and put there. I took it and put it by the front door. I quickly ran up the stairs, two by two, and rushing into the room, grabbing Iris' bag and journal. I ran down the stairs, putting the book in the bag and swinging it over my shoulder. I grabbed the container of gas and walked out the front door.

I paused and took a deep breath, letting the door slam behind me. I slowly walked across the porch and stopping at the steps, looking down. I put down the container. I clenched my fists and kept the tears in my eyes and I bent down to lift up Iris. She was light as a feather, and I tried to ignore the fact that her skin was ghostly white. I placed her down against the door, folding her arms carefully against her chest. I frowned, and whipped a strand of hair from her face, before kissing her cold forehead. I looked at her for one more second, my Iris, my beautiful girl. I couldn't take it anymore and I stood up quickly, turning my back to her and walking back over to where the gasoline was.

I opened the cap and poured the gas around Iris, and around the perimeter of the house. I pulled out the lighter, flicking it on. I dropped it in the gas, watching the whole house and Iris catch on fire before my eyes. I shook my head sadly, and walked away from the house, going to wait on the dock.

҉

I sat on the dock, swinging my legs legs as they skimmed the water. A little blue fish swam up and looked at my toes, than swam away quickly, shaking its tail. I smirked, looking up at the water. A boat was headed this way, quickly gaining speed and flying towards the island. My mouth twisted into a devilish grin, as I stood up and watched the boat pull up to the dock.

Scott smiled cheerfully. I rolled my eyes. Demons were so ignorant.

"Alright time to go, Lucas." He said, too cheerfully. "Where's Iris?"

I said nothing but step on the boat. He move backwards, making the boat sway unevenly. I stuck out my hand, pushing him off the boat and splashing into the water.

He struggled up to the surface, gasping for breath. I looked around the boat, finding a gun hidden under the drivers seat. I picked it up, and pointed it at Scott's head, immediately pulling the trigger. Blood erupted from his forehead as he fell back in the water. The water around him turned red with blood.

I threw the gun on the floor of the boat and pulled the motor, making the boat speed away from the dock. I looked back at the island. The rest of the house was slowly burning to the ground, along with Iris.

I scowled, and turned back to the ocean in front of me.

I'm ready to kick some ass.

҉

I kicked the door open. It slammed against the back wall, and ricocheted back towards me and hit me in the side. I stopped and frowned, slowly pushing it open and making sure it stayed resting against the wall. I looked around, making sure no one saw me.

I walked down the corridor, the same one I had walked down when I came to rescue Iris. I walked into the first room I saw. Inside were three 'Shifters, sitting around a table. They all turned towards me as I entered, and their faces froze as I pointed a gun in the air, shooting it three times, hitting each person square in the face. One slumped on the table, blood dripping to the floor, while the other two fell over the sides of their chairs.

I quickly walked out of the room, and into the next room, doing the same. There were thirteen rooms in this corridor. I shot every man, woman, and child. Dead, with blood dripping from the holes in between their eyes.

I ran up the stairs two at a time. At the top there was one room at the end of a corridor. I walked slowly, my breath growing quicker with every step. I paused before opening the door, and took a deep breath. I brought my gun up to the side, and braced my shoulder against the door, pushing it open and into the room.

Inside, Bartol sat at his plain desk, in the middle of an empty room. The didn't seem phased as I bursted in, pointing the gun at him. Instead, he smiled. "Lucas." He said. "You look well."

I scowled. "Yea well." I looked around. "Love what you've done with the place."

"Why thank you." He replied flatly. "May we discuss this like gentlemen, Lucas?"

"No."

"Now, now, Lucas," He started, standing up. I walked quickly towards him, raising the gun towards his forehead. He stopped, hands up. He smiled. "Let's be reasonable Lucas."

"Screw reasonable." I said quickly. "Aloura is dead, by the way."

"I know."

"You don't seem to care?"

"I don't." he said, shrugging. "She was...extendable. Not a huge loss."

"You know everyone downstairs is dead?" I said, desperately trying to get some jabs in.

"I know." He said again. "Again-Extendable."

"You know _Iris _is dead?" I screamed in frustration.

He froze. "What?" he asked, his voice shaky.

"Yea! She's dead! I burned her, and the house! On the island!" I glared at him. "The last pixie is dead Bartol! She's gone! The war is over!"

He laughed at me, a smile dancing on his lips. "Oh Lucas, how little do you know. This war was never about the _pixies_! It's about destroying the demons. The pixies were just the easiest resource to accomplish that. Now that they are gone, we will just have to find another way to gain power." He shrugged. "Easy."

I clenched my hands, hearing my knuckles crack. I clenched my teeth, glaring at Bartol with pure hatred. "You realize I'm going to kill you now." I said through my teeth, stepping forward.

"You realize I am not going to let that happen," He said, clicking his fingers. Clouds of black dust swirled and soon in his hands, transformed a long, glistening sword.

Sticking the gun in my back pocket, I snapped my fingers creating my whip. Bartol rolled his eyes, spinning the sword through his hand before jabbing it towards me, stepping forward. I jumped back and sucked in my stomach, the sword missing cutting me in half by inches. I shook my head, and tightened by grip on the whip and swinging it towards him. It cracked in the air, the spike hitting him on shoulder, erupting blood that started slowly trickling down his forearm.

I grinned, letting my guard down. I was too cocky. Bartol's sword cut a huge gash across my fore arm, causing me to drop the whip in pain. The blood started to bubble and burn as I screamed. Bartol kicked the sword across the room. I groaned, forcing myself to ignore the pain and reach behind me, pulling the two knives out of my pockets.

Bartol laughed, lunging towards me, the sword cutting down on top of me in an arc. I stuck both arms in the arm, deflecting the sword with my knives, using all my strength to keep the sword from cutting my head in half. I pushed the sword sideways, and the momentum continued carrying it to the ground, where it sliced into the floor and got stuck. Bartol's eyes widened, as he desperately struggled to free the sword.

I smiled, kicking him in the ribs, which made him drop to his knees, the sword still stuck in the ground. He lay on his side. I kicked in again, causing him to fold in half. I smashed his face in, kicking him over and over. I bent down and grabbed him by the hair, pulling him up and shoving him up against a wall. I had to keep up myself, as he was knees buckled as the wind was knocked out of him.

His face was bloody and torn. I smiled. "What will your precious 'Shifters do without you?" I said, faking concern.

He smiled, spitting out blood at me. He smiled, blood dripping from the side of his lips. "There are people who will take my place. You can't end this all by yourself Lucas." He chucked, coughing up blood. "You'll never end this."

I clenched my teeth. "Nice line." I drove the knife through his jaw. As his mouth opened in horror, I saw the blade keeping it open. His eyes rolled back in his head and he went limp, dead.

I let him drop to the floor. I shook my head and walked from the room, no looking back.

҉

"C'mon Lucas." Vixen pleaded, looking nervously at Afrit and Jansen, who laid sprawled dead on the floor. "I thought we we're buds."

"Yup." I said, smiling. "Best buds." I walked towards him. He was too scared to move. I took his head in between my hands and twisted sharply, breaking his neck. "Sorry, I always kind of hated you Vixen." I said, chuckling and pushing him over.

I walked into the hallway. I looked behind me. The bodies of dozens of demons lay sprawled in the corridor, thick crimson blood soaking into the carpet. I grinned demonically, not caring about the lives I had just ended. I looked at the last door. Abigor's office. Without thinking, I walked in calmly. Abigor sat at his desk, writing something down. Without looking up, he said "Lucas come in."

I smiled, coming into the all too familiar office and sitting in my usual chair. There was a moment of silence where neither of us said anything, all that was heard was the pen scratching across the paper. I sat up in my chair, smiling expectantly at Abigor. "I killed Aloura." I said.

"Good." He said flatly, still not looking up.

"I killed the Shape-Shifters too, along with Bartol." I said cheerfully.

"Good." He said in the same way, still looking at his paper.

"You know I killed Iris?" I said, smiling widely.

"Yes." He said, smiling.

"And you don't care?" I anticipated.

"Correct, Lucas." He said, smiling, still not taking the time to change his focus from his paper.

"You know I just killed Jansen, Afrit and Vixen, along with everyone else." I said.

He raised an eyebrow, still looking at his paper. "Why?" he asked, yet no concern was in his voice.

"If none of this had ever happened, Abigor, Iris would be still alive. So- everyone has got to die. Every Shifter is dead, and every Demon is dead. Or will be, once I kill you."

He looked up, sighing. He looked bored, yet still chuckled. "You're going to kill me, are you Lucas?"

"Yes I am, Abigor." I said, unblinking.

"Again I must ask, why Lucas?" he said, though there was no emotion in his voice.

"Do you know why Iris is dead, Abigor. She sacrificed herself, so that this war could be stopped. Now, she's dead, and I am being told that the war will still continue? This will not happen. I will kill every single person – every man, woman, and child with some form of 'Shifter or Demonic power." I grinned widely. "You're the last one, Abigor."

He pondered that for a moment. He sighed, folding his arms against his desk. "I am an old man, Lucas. I am older than what I look. I have been trying to get back at the Shifters for a long time, and now you are telling me they are dead. This is great news to me. You killed all of my demons? I don't really care."

I frowned. "What are you getting at Abigor?"

He sighed. "Lucas I don't care that you kill me. Go ahead, I welcome death. It's been chasing me for years." He held his arms open, leaning back in his chair. "Shoot." He said calmly.

I shrugged, pointing the gun to his forehead and pulling the trigger. Abigor's eyes widened, then closed slowly as he fell back into his chair, blood dripping from the perfect hole in his forehead. I smiled, throwing the gun on the table, watching it spin before resting into place.

I sighed, walking out of the room, hands in my pockets. I stepped over and around bodies until I finally walked out and into the fresh air. I inhaled, before scrunching my nose. It still smelt like blood.

I frowned and continued walking, across the long, grassy field towards the forest. I wandered into the forest, hearing the twigs snap underneath my wight and having the leaves brush up against my bare arms. Finally, I came a patch of field near a lake. I walked over and bent down, leaning over and looking towards the water. My face was stained with blood, and my eyes looked crazed and hollow. I cupped water in my hands. I scrubbed my face, my hands tainted light red. I washed them in the water and rubbed them on my pants, drying them.

I stood up by the lake, and looked up into the sky. "I did it Iris." I said to no one. "It's done. The war is over. You did not die in vain." I said, smiling.

I pulled the knife from my back pocket, looking at it and turning it my hand, watching the sun reflect off the silver. I looked up at the sky again. "I love you." I paused, looking down at the knife again. "I'll see you soon."

Without hesitation, I plunged the knife into my chest, ignoring the pain. I dropped to my knees, starring up into the sky. I fell sideways, my unblinking eyes starring into nothing. Slowly, my world faded black.

My duty was done.


	21. Epilogue

Epilogue

Everything was the same here; the tree branches shaking as the wind blew through it. The leaves fluttered to the ground in slow-motion and fast-forward at the same time. Snow spiralled down from the sky, showering the surface of everything in a bright white.

I couldn't feel the wind of course, couldn't feel it tremble through my hair as it once had. Nor could I feel the crunch of the snow as I stepped on it, or feel the cold of the snowflakes as they landed on my skin, yet still- it was there, it existed.

I didn't.

Yes, I could still see myself, standing amidst the clearing that Lucas and I had teleported from the janitor's closet. My hand reached out to grab a leaf. I could hold it, it didn't slip through my hand, but I couldn't feel it.

I sat down and gazed around the clearing, not bothering to speak. What was the point, when nobody was there to say anything back?

I sighed noiselessly and gazed around, snow swirling around my feet and falling in my hair. The small flakes danced on my skin, no body heat produced to melt the small white pieces of snow.

I fell back into the snow, frustrated when it stayed exactly as it had before. I wanted so bad to make a difference, make a change. I couldn't even change the snows surface.

My eyes stung, tears sliding down my face. I still couldn't feel them. I grabbed hold of a large stone and hurtled it, the rock falling into the snow and spraying the white powder into the air. I paused and then started wandering around for a while, the air still and silent.

At this point I was afraid to speak. I didn't want to try and find I wouldn't be able to hear my own voice. My ears rang and I mentally screamed to myself- I wouldn't be able to stay here. I would go insane.

So I ran, stumbling over my feet and onto my knees, striking them and getting back up quickly without feeling any pain.

I continued to run, not stopping as the green and brown trees blurring past me. I didn't need to stop, didn't need to catch my breath as I sped off, launching myself over fallen tree trunks.

Eventually I could see a break in the forest, and I sped out to see the ocean. The waves crashed soundlessly before me, the wind blowing across the sand. In the distance, there was a house that poked out from the trees. It was a huge mansion, and easily recognized.

I was now on the island.

I didn't exactly understand exactly how I had gotten here; the clearing I woke up in was nowhere near the island, so how was I here now?

I continued walking, trying to understand how this worked. I travelled through the trees in a new direction for a while, time seeming to tick by slowly.

There was another break in the trees that I ran to, glad to finally be out of the forest. I hesitated when spotting where I was- the old factory that Relic had been killed in. I didn't want to enter the building, didn't want to remember what had happened.

I couldn't realize why I had been switching from places that weren't anywhere near each other. I groaned and sat down- If I were alive I would have had a major headache right now.

That thought alone sent me reeling. I wasn't alive anymore. I didn't need to breath, didn't need to sleep or eat. I wouldn't be working with Chandra tomorrow, I wouldn't be sitting in class with Zak and go to the cafe after school. My heart lurched as I thought about what they would say, what they would do when they found out about me.

My eyes started to flood as I sat on the ground. I stumbled to my feet and walked back to where the ocean was. When I got there, I could see a silhouette of someone sitting with their arms wrapped around their knees. The persons back was facing me, but I could still recognize the shape of their shoulders and the way he sat.

"Lucas." I choked out. I knew I had spoken, knew that I had said something, but no noise came out. Tears continue to stream off my face, "_Lucas!_" I screamed, inaudibly. He got up off the ground and slowly walked away, shoulders sagging in defeat.

_Lucas, please turn around. Look at me. Please_. I thought, sobbing. He froze, then slowly turned. I could see his mouth move, and although couldn't hear him I knew what he was saying.

_Iris_. Suddenly his voice seemed to enter my mind, as if I had thought it myself. A grin split across my face and I ran to see him, jumping and wrapping my legs around his waist. Unlike anything else, I could feel him. He kissed me, his mouth melting against my own.

_Lucas, what are you doing here?_ I thought, somehow positive he would be able to hear me.

_I couldn't live without you._ He hugged me close to his body and buried his head in my shoulder. My body shook as I cried, ecstatic to finally see him again.

_Lucas, where are we? What is this place?_ I thought to him, getting used to talking like this.

_It's our afterlife; Filled with places from our memories_. He didn't seem to be able to take his eyes of me.

_Memories?_ I echoed. That explained the clearing, the mansion, and the factory. All were places that held meaning to the both of them. I was sure that we would see other places if we explored around more. He nodded and placed me on the ground.

_God Iris, I missed you. I love you so much._ My face heated up and I kissed him again, winding my arms around his neck.

_I love you too Lucas, thank you for what you did._

His head shook, _I killed you_.

_No Lucas, _She disagreed, _you saved me._

He gazed at me before smiling slightly and pulling me with him to go and re-visit the placed of our memories, hand-in-hand. I tightened my grip on his fingers. This time, I wasn't ever letting go of him.

Lucas and Iris, Forever and Always.

AND THAT IS THE END.  
>thank you all so much for reading it and commenting, it means a lot. We're sending this to a publisher, so please send us happy thoughts! 3<p> 


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